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BATTLES 

OF THE 

CIVIL WAR 



BY 

T. E. VINEYARD 



SPENCER, W. VA. 
1914 



Copyright, 1914 

BY 

T. E. VINEYARD 



&1AR 4 19t4 



HAMMOND PRESS 
y.y W. B. OONKKY OOHPANT 

> >r ^^ OHIOAQO 






CONTENTS 



PAGE 

FiEST Battle of Bull Eun 9 

Battle of Shiloh 14 

Battle of Fair Oaks and Seven Pines 19 

The Seven Days' Battles before Eichmond.. . 25 

Battle of Cedar Mountain 36 

Second Battle of Bull Eun 40 

Battle of Antietam 46 

Battle of Murfreesboro 56 

Battle of Fredericksburg 62 

Battle of Chancellorsville 71 

Siege of Vicksburg 79 

Battle of Gettysburg 86 

Battle of Chickamauga 104 

Battle of Lookout Mountain and Missionary 

Eidge 109 

Battle of the Wilderness 114 

Battle of Spottsylvania Court House 120 

Battle of Cold Harbor 125 

Sherman 's March to the Sea 129 

Battle of Cloyd Mountain 136 

The Siege and Fall of PETERsbtRG ..... .". ." .... 142 

The Surrender at Appomattox 149 



ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 
General Robert E. Lee 16 

General Ulysses S. Grant 32 

John Brown on His Way to the Gallows 48 

Battlefield of First Bull Run 64 

Battle of Antietam 96 

Battle of Gettysburg 112 

Dedicating the National Cemetery at Gettysburg 128 

Battle of Spottsylvania Court-House 144 



AUTHOR'S PREFACE 

In all history of this American Republic, or 
perhaps any other nation, there was no conflict 
that was so terrible as our Civil war. Napo- 
leon's efforts to bring into reality his dream of 
universal empire would not compare with it. 

I have endeavored in this book to describe in 
detail the chief points that were enacted on the 
most important battlefields of that War. As 
those who participated in that "War are now fast 
passing away, and the time will soon be here 
when they will only be remembered by their 
deeds of valor on these battlefields, I deem it 
only fit and proper that those in all walks of 
life should know more of these battles in detail 
and of those who participated in them. I think 
you will get this information from this book, as 
it is written specially with this view. It should 
specially appeal to teachers and students who 
can use it in a supplementary way in connection 
with the study of history of this period. 

I now commend this book to you, and trust 
that it may be the means of giving you more 
light on this the greatest civil war of all time, 
and that it may help to lengthen in the minds 
of the American people their remembrance of 
those who participated in it. 
7 



FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN 

At the beginning of July, 1861, the Federals 
had 30,000 men encamped along the Potomac 
near the heights of Arlington under the general 
command of General Winfield Scott, who was 
a veteran of the war of 1812, as well as the 
Mexican war, but who was at this time aged and 
infirm, and remained in Washington) and Briga- 
dier-General Irvin McDowell was in immediate 
command of the army. Another 20,000 men lay 
at Martinsburg under General Patterson who 
like Scott was a veteran of the war of 1812 and 
of the Mexican war. 

At Manassas Junction, about thirty miles from 
Washington, lay the Confederate army under 
Brigadier-General Beauregard. General Joseph 
E. Johnston was in command of 9,000 men in 
the Shenandoah Valley. Johnston and Beaure- 
gard, as well as McDowell, had with Scott and 
Patterson battled at the gates of Mexico. 

General Scott gave orders to McDowell to move 
against Beauregard and on the 16th day of July 
the army, with waving banners and lively hopes 
©f victory, and with **0n to Richmond" as their 
battle cry, moved on Manassas. General Mc- 
Dowell brought his army to a halt at Centreville 
within seven miles of Manassas. Beauregard 
was apprised of the coming of the Federals. The 
9 





10 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

stream of Bull Run, from which the first great 
battle of the war derived its name, flowed be- 
tween the two armies. Patterson failed to detain 
Johnston in the valley, and General Johnston 
reached Manassas with his army on the after- 
noon of the 20th. General Longstreet was also 
there, who some months later played a distinctive 
part in the struggle at Gettysburg and in the 
death grapple of Lee and Grant in the wilderness. 

McDowell, after resting his troops for two days 
at Centreville, thought the time for an engage- 
ment was now at hand, so on Sunday, July 21st, 
at half-past two in the morning, the men were 
roused for the coming conflict. Their dream of 
easy victory had already received a rude shock, 
for on their second day at Centreville a skirmish 
between two minor divisions of the opposing 
armies resulted in the defeat of the Union forces 
with some loss. 

Ambrose E. Burnside and William T. Sher- 
man were at this time subordinate officers under 
General McDowell. Burnside, who figured later 
in the far more disastrous battle of Fredricks- 
burg, and Sherman, distinguished for his march 
to the sea. 

The Union plan was that General Tyler should 
lead his division westward and cross Bull Run 
at the Stone Bridge about four miles from Cen- 
treville, and the remainder of the army under 
Hunter and Hientzelman was to make a cir- 
cuit of several miles through a dense wood and 
cross Bull Run at Sudley's Ford. The plan 



FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN 11 

was to attack the Confederate left wing. The 
inarch to Sudley's Ford was slower than ex- 
pected and it was almost noon before this division 
of the army reached the field near Stone Bridge. 

General Tyler early in the day opened fire at 
Stone Bridge on the Confederates under Gen- 
eral Evans, but merely kept up a desultory fire. 
As the morning wore away the Confederates sud- 
denly discovered clouds of dust rising above the 
treetops along the "Warrenton turnpike, which 
told them that the main Federal army was on 
them. Evans quickly; turned about and made 
ready for battle and waited calmly for the ap- 
proach of the enemy. Presently there was a 
glimmer of sunlight reflected from burnished 
steel among the trees and Colonel Burnside led 
the Federal army from the woods and without 
delay the battle began and raged furiously. 

Meanwhile Generals Beauregard and Johnston 
were at Manassas, about four miles from the 
scene of battle, with part of the Confederate 
army, and had been planning an attack on the 
Federal left, but on hearing the roar of the can- 
non and the rattle of the musketry became con- 
vinced that the Federals were making their 
main attack on the Confederate left, and both 
galloped at full speed to the scene of battle, after 
leaving orders to the remainder of the army to 
be brought up to reenforce the small force of 
Confederates who were trying to hold back the 
Federals. They arrived on the field at the 
moment when General Bee's brigade was being 





12 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

driven back. General Bee, in trying to rally his 
men, called their attention to the fact that 
Thos. J. Jackson's brigade was standing like a 
stone wall, and it was here that Jackson won his 
name of * ' Stonewall. ' ' 

The battle raged furiously until 3 o'clock. 
The chief object was to get possession of Henry's 
Hill. Beauregard, like McDowell on the other 
side, led his men in the thickest of the battle. 
His horse was killed by a bursting shell, but he 
mounted another and continued. At about 2 
o'clock the Confederates were driven from the 
field and McDowell thought he had won the vic- 
tory, but General Kirby Smith had arrived from 
Manassas with the remainder of the Confederate 
army and was now on the field, after a double- 
quick march for four miles under a hot July sun. 
Beauregard determined to make another effort 
and ordered his troops forward with fresh cour- 
age. When the Union army saw the Confed- 
erates again approaching, supported by fresh 
troops, their courage failed and they began to 
retreat. McDowell tried in vain to rally his men, 
the Confederates pressed on, the retreat of the 
Federals became a panic. He again tried to 
rally his men and make a stand at Centreville 
but to no avail, the troops refused to listen to his 
commands. Some of the troops did not stop 
until they reached Washington, and the first 
great battle of the Civil war was now over. 

The Federal force engaged was about 19,000 
men, of which the loss in killed, wounded and 
missing was about 3,000. 



FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN 13 

The Confederates had about 18,000 men on the 
field, and their total loss in killed, wounded and 
missing was about 2,000. McDowell and Beau- 
regard, the opposing commanders, were old-time 
friends, having been in the same class at West 
Point. 

It was in this battle that Captain Ricketts was 
severely wounded and left on the field, and was 
carried a prisoner to Richmond by the Con- 
federates. 

To commemorate the success of the Southern 
arms at Bull Run the Confederate congress voted 
a day of Thanksgiving. 





THE BATTLE OF SHILOH 

Many battles had been fought in America, but 
they were all skirmishes compared with Shiloh. 
Napoleon fought but few battles on the Continent 
of Europe that were more destructive of human 
life. 

In the beginning of April, 1862, General Albert 
Sidney Johnston was in command of 40,000 Con- 
federate soldiers at Corinth, Miss., about twenty 
miles from Pittsburgh Landing, on the Tennessee 
River ; the next in command was General Beau- 
regard, who had fought at Bull Run, and had 
come to reenforce Johnston; General Bragg, of 
Buena Vista fame, was there, to whom, at Buena 
Vista, General Taylor had given the famous com- 
mand, ''A little more grape. Captain Bragg." 
General Leonidas Polk was with Johnston also. 
He was called the ''Fighting Bishop," for he 
had been a bishop in the church after leaving 
West Point. 

Meanwhile the Union army was gathering at 
Pittsburgh Landing, under the command of Gen- 
eral Grant, and by April 6th numbered 40,000 
men. Grant's plan was to attack the Confed- 
erates at Corinth, within a few days, and at this 
time was little expecting an immediate battle, 
and had left his army in command of his subor- 
dinate officers, and on the night of the 5th was 
14 



SHILOH 15 

some miles down the Tennessee from where his 
army was encamped. 

In the meantime Johnston was moving on the 
Federals at Pittsburgh Landing, and on the night 
of April 5th encamped within a mile of the 
Federal lines. 

At the break of day Sunday, April 6th, the 
Confederate battle-lines moved from the woods 
on the surrounding hills, and the greatest battle 
yet fought in the "Western Hemisphere was at 
hand. 

General Grant was at breakfast when he heard 
the roar of the cannon, and made haste by boat 
to take charge of his army. 

General Hardee led the first Confederate at- 
tack against the outlying division of the Federals 
under General Benjamin Prentiss, of West Vir- 
ginia. Very soon a Confederate attack was made 
all along the Federal line, led by Bragg, Polk 
and Breckinridge. A determined stand was 
made by the Federal division under General 
W. T. Sherman, but was finally pushed back after 
inflicting great slaughter to the Confederates. 
About two and a half miles from the Landing, 
in a grove of trees, stood a log church, known 
to the country people as Shiloh, at which they 
gathered on Sunday to worship, but on this 
particular Sunday the demon of war reigned 
supreme, and it goes without saying that the 
regular service on this fateful Sunday was dis- 
pensed with. About this church the battle raged 
furiously. Near the same was a dense under- 





16 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

growth, which was held by General Prentiss 
until late in the afternoon of the 6th, when his 
entire division was surrounded and compelled to 
surrender, after repulsing the Confederate at- 
tack time after time with great slaughter. This 
spot has since been known as the ** Hornet's 
Nest.'' 

It was near this place that General Albert 
Sidney Johnston received his death wound while 
leading his troops, and in his death the Con- 
federates suffered irreparable loss. He was 
struck in the leg by a minie ball, and if surgical 
attention had been given him at once his life 
would have been saved. 

It is the belief of many that the death of John- 
ston changed the result at Shiloh. Beauregard 
succeeded to the command and continued the 
battle. The utter rout of Grant's army was 
saved only by the gunboats in the river. Beau- 
regard gave orders to suspend operations until 
morning. 

The Confederates were left in charge of the 
field on the first day and were in good hope of 
victory. But ere long their hopes were mingled 
with fear, for Beauregard had been expecting 
General Van Dorn with 20,000 men to reenforce 
him, but he had not arrived. On the other hand, 
Generals Buell and Wallace arrived during the 
night with 25,000 fresh troops to reenforce Grant. 
Everyone knew the battle would be renewed at 
the dawn of day. At the break of day, April 7th, 
all was astir on the field of Shiloh, and the dawn 




GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE 



8HIL0H 17 

was greeted with, the roar of the cannon and the 
rattle of the musketry. 

The Confederates were at a great disadvantage 
as Van Dorn had not arrived, and they were 
confronted by Grant's overwhekning numbers. 
Shiloh church was again the storm center, and 
was used by Beauregard as his headquarters. 

During the afternoon Beauregard became con- 
vinced that the battle was lost, and ordered a 
retreat, which was skillfully 'made, for he main- 
tained a front firing-line, and the Federals did 
not suspect his retreat for some time. 

The Federals were left in possession of the 
field, while Beauregard's troops were wading 
through mud on their way to Corinth. 

Nothing yet on the American continent had 
ever been witnessed by any human being that 
would equal the agony and woe that was endured 
on this retreat ; the road was almost impassable, 
and the Confederate army, extending along 
this road for six to eight miles, was struggling 
along through a downpour of rain, which, ere 
long, as night hovered over them, turned to hail 
and sleet. There were wagons loaded with 
wounded, whose wounds had not yet been at- 
tended. The wounded that died on the way were 
left by the wayside. 

Some days after the battle Beauregard re- 
ported to his government at Richmond as fol- 
lows : * ' This army is more confident of ultimate 
success than before its encounter with the 
enemy. ' ' 





18 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

In his address to his soldiers he said: "You 
have done your duty. Your countrymen are 
proud of your deeds on the bloody field of Shiloh : 
Confident of the ultimate result of your valor. ' ' 

The two days at Shiloh were astonishing to 
the American people. Bull Run was a skirmish 
in comparison with Shiloh. The loss on each side 
was more than 10,000 men. General Grant said 
that after the battle there was an open field so 
covered with dead that it would have been pos- 
sible to walk across it in any direction stepping 
on dead bodies without the foot touching the 
ground. 

This proved a great victory for the Federals, 
as it left them in full possession along the 
Tennessee and in the surrounding country. 



THE BATTLES OF FAIR OAKS 
AND SEVEN PINES 

After the battle of Bull Run the Union army 
was broken up and unorganized. General George 
B. McClellan was called to Washington to take 
charge of the army, and in the beginning days of 
1862 he found himself in command of 200,000 
men. He set about to organize this army and 
fit them for service. Presently public opinion 
grew restless, and the North became tired of 
''All's Quiet Along the Potomac." 

About the middle of March McClellan moved 
a large portion of his army on transports down 
the Potomac to Fortress Monroe. On April 5th 
he moved up the Peninsula toward Richmond. 
He met with a Confederate force under General 
Magruder near Yorktown, who fell back on Wil- 
liamsburg as the Union army advanced. At 
Williamsburg he met a large Confederate force 
under General J. E. B. Stuart, D. H. Hill and 
Jubal Early. The Confederates were finally dis- 
lodged and forced to retreat by the advance 
divisions of McClellan 's army under Hooker, 
Kearny and Hancock, who occupied Williams- 
burg. 

The Union army continued their march, and 
on May 16th reached White House, the ancestral 
home of the Lees, which is twenty-four miles 
19 





20 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

from Richmond. On every side were fields of 
grain, and were it not for tlie presence of 100,000 
■men, there was the promise of a full harvest. 

Great confusion reigned at the Confederate 
capital on hearing of the advance of McClellan's 
army. The Confederate army, known as the 
Army of Northern Virginia, under the command 
of General Joseph E. Johnston, was arrayed 
against McClellan's army, known as the Army 
of the Potomac. And thus was arrayed against 
each other two of the greatest and best equipped 
armies that had ever confronted each other on 
the field of battle. It was now imminent that 
this would be the beginning of a series of battles 
between the Army of the Potomac and the Army 
of Northern Virginia, ending three years there- 
after at Appomattox, where the veterans in gray 
layed down their arms, in honor, to those in 
blue. 

Between these two armies lay the Chicka- 
hominy River, which at this time was overflow- 
ing its banks on account of recent heavy rains. 
McClellan ordered his army forward May 20th, 
and a large division under General Naglee suc- 
ceeded in crossing the river, and took up a posi- 
tion on the south side of the stream. General 
McClellan, however, was expecting to be reen- 
forced by McDowell from Fredricksburg with 
40,000 men. 

General Johnston, discovering the divided con- 
dition of McClellan's army, believed that the 
time had arrived to give battle. At this time 



FAIR OAKS 21 

''Stonewair' Jackson, with his army, was in the 
Valley of Virginia, and was seriously threaten- 
ing Washington. The authorities at Washing- 
ton deemed it necessary to recall McDowell and 
thus prevent him from reenforcing McClellan, 
which proved to be a very serious disappoint- 
ment to him. McClellan ordered two divisions 
of his army to advance. One, commanded by 
General Casey, stationed itself at Fair Oaks 
farm, and the other, under General Couch, en- 
trenched itself at the cross-roads near Seven 
Pines, which derives its name from a clump of 
pine trees, from which the battle fought here 
derives its name. 

No sooner had these positions been taken than 
they began to entrench themselves and throw 
out their picket lines, for the advance division 
of the Confederates could plainly be seen through 
the timber lines. 

On May 30th Johnston gave orders for his 
army to be ready to advance at daybreak, but 
during the night a very heavy rain fell and 
delayed operations until late in the morning of 
M^y 31st. About nine o'clock, however, the 
forces of Longstreet and Hill were ready to 
move, and advanced rapidly through the woods 
on the outlying division of the Federals, who 
made a stubborn defense, driving back the Con- 
federates time after time at the point of the 
bayonet, and the last time pressing them back 
to the woods. Here they were met by a furious 
musketry fire by fresh men from Longstreet 's 





22 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

division ot infantry. They quickly gave way, 
and retreated in confusion back to their en- 
trenchments near Fair Oaks farm. Here the 
Federals took a stubborn stand, but were pres- 
ently dislodged with great slaughter by an en- 
filading fire from the brigades of Kains and 
Rhodes, who had come up on each side. 

The Federals fell back to Seven Pines, where 
Couch's division was stationed. Their situation 
was growing critical, although they were making 
a determined stand and had been reenforced by 
Heintzelman 's division. In the meantime Hill 
had been reenforced by a brigade of Longstreet's 
division and was making a fierce attack on the 
Federals. The Confederates were further reen- 
forced by the division of General G. W. Smith. 
The battle raged furiously until late in the even- 
ing, when the Federals fell back a distance of 
about two miles within their entrenchments along 
the river. 

While this battle was being fought, another at 
Fair Oaks Station, only a short distance away, 
was also being fought, in which General Joseph 
E. Johnston was seriously wounded by a burst- 
ing shell, and was carried from the field. He 
was succeeded in command by General Robert 
E. Lee, who was afterwards made the commander 
in chief of all the Southern forces, although the 
immediate command fell upon G. W. Smith. 

Early Sunday morning, June 1st, the battle was 
renewed and the attack was again made by the 
Confederates, led by General Smith, supported 



FAIR OAKS 23 

by Longstreet, but they were pushed back with 
great slaughter. The Union lines were also 
broken and a brief lull ensued. Both sides were 
gathering themselves for another onslaught. 
Presently the Federals were reenforced by the 
division of General Hooker. They marched 
upon the field in double quick time, and were 
met by a withering artillery fire. Both attack- 
ing divisions were ordered forward with fixed 
bayonets. The Confederates finally gave way 
and fell back toward Eichmond, and the Fed- 
erals again withdrew to their entrenchment along 
the river. 

It is thought by many that McClellan's failure 
to follow up the Confederates proved to be the 
final failure of his Peninsula campaign, for it 
gave the Confederates time to readjust their 
army under their new commander. 

The forest paths were strewn with the dead 
and dying. Many of the wounded were com- 
pelled to lie in the hot sun for hours before 
help could reach them. Many of the Federal 
womided were placed upon cars and taken across 
the Chickahominy. The Confederate wounded 
were carried to Richmond, which was only seven 
miles away. And many of the Confederate dead 
at Seven Pines were buried in the Holly "Wood 
cemetery at Richmond, where there are 16,000 
Confederate dead. At Oak Wood cemetery, 
which is near by, there is another 16,000, which 
makes 32,000 buried at Richmond. 

At this time the defense of Washington was 





24 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

giving McClellan, as well as other Federal au- 
thorities, considerable concern, for Jackson with 
his army had previously taken possession of 
Winchester and was advancing down the valley. 
The Federals opposed to Jackson were com- 
manded by Grenerals Shields and Banks. Jack- 
son made an attack on Shields* army at Kerns- 
town and drove the Federals back, but presently 
fell back to wait reenforcements under Ewell. 
The Federals were reenforced by General Free- 
mont. Jackson's activity in the valley caused 
the president to fear that his goal was Wash- 
ington. The two armies fought a series of 
battles in the valley, namely: Front Royal, 
Strausburg, Newtown and Port Republic, the 
last-named being the far more important and 
destructive to life. These were a series of vic- 
tories for Jackson, for he drove the Federals 
from place to place, and 3,000 of Banks' men 
fell into his hands as prisoners. Banks retreated 
across the Potomac and Jackson joined Lee before 
Richmond. 

Jackson's activity and strategy in the move- 
ment of his army surprised both the North and 
the South. Banks reported to the government 
at Washington that "Jackson aimed at nothing 
less than the capture of our entire force.'' 



THE SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES 

Early in the summer of 1862, General Lee pro- 
ceeded to increase his fighting force so as to 
make it more nearly equal in number to that of 
McClellan, and to that end every man that could 
be spared from other sections in the South was 
called to Richmond. Numerous intrenchments 
were thrown up along the roads and in the fields 
about Richmond, thus giving it the appearance 
of a fortified camp. General Lee, in an address 
to his troops, said that the army had made its 
last retreat. 

Each army at this time numbered in the neigh- 
borhood of 100,000 men. 

Meanwhile, McClellan 's army was acclimating 
itself to a Virginia summer, and now that the 
sweltering heat of June was coming on, the 
swamps about their camps were fountains of 
disease, which began to tell on the health of the 
men. The hospitals were crowded, and the 
death rate was appalling. 

McClellan proceeded to transfer all his men 
to the south side of the Chickahominy River, ex- 
cepting the corps of Franklin and Porter, which 
were left on the north side of the river to await 
reenforcements under General McCall, which 
arrived about the middle of June. 

General Lee sent a division of his cavalry, 

25 





26 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

under the command of J. E. B. Stuart, to en- 
circle the army of McClellan. Stuart started in 
the direction of Fredericksburg June 12th, as if to 
reenforce Jackson, and the first night bivouacked 
in the pine woods of Hanover county. Then, 
turning to the east, he soon came upon a Union 
force, drawn up in columns of four, ready to 
dispute the passage of the road, and which fell 
back in confusion as the Confederates advanced. 
Stuart pushed on and fell upon a company of 
Federal infantry at Tunstall's Station, which 
surrendered at once. The Confederates quickly 
turned about, crossed the Chickahominy River 
and joined Lee's army before Richmond, thus 
giving Lee the desired information of the position 
of McClellan 's army. 

Meanwhile, General ' ' Stonewall ' ' Jackson with 
his army was making haste to join Lee's army, 
and on June 25th reached Ashland, in striking 
distance of the Army of the Potomac. 

McClellan was pushing his men forward to 
begin the siege of Richmond. His advance guard 
was within four miles of the Confederate capital, 
and his fond hope was that within a few days at 
most his artillery would be belching forth its 
sheets of fire and lead into the beleaguered city. 

In front of the Union camp was a strip of pine 
woodland, full of ponds and marshes. The 
Union soldiers pressed through this thicket, met 
the Confederate pickets among the trees and 
drove them back. Upon emerging into the open 
the Federal troops found it filled with rifle pits, 



SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES 27 

earth works, and redoubts. At once they were 
met with a steady and incessant fire, which con- 
tinued nearly all day, and at times almost reached 
the magnitude of a battle. This is sometimes 
called the second battle of Fair Oaks, and was 
the prelude of the Seven Days' battles. 

The extreme right of the Union line, under 
command of General Porter, lay near Mechanics- 
ville, on the Upper Chickahominy. It was 
strongly entrenched and was almost impregnable 
to an attack from the front. Before sunrise, 
June 26th, the Confederates were at the Chicka- 
hominy bridge awaiting the arrival of Jackson, 
but for once Jackson was behind time. The 
morning hours came and went. Noon came and 
Jackson had not arrived. About the middle of 
the afternoon, General A. P. Hill, growing impa- 
tient, crossed the river at Meadow bridge, and 
at Mechanicsville was joined by the divisions of 
Longstreet and D. H. Hill. Driving the Union 
outpost to cover, the Confederates swept across 
the low approach to Beaver Dam Creek through 
a murderous fire from the batteries on the cliff, 
but w^ere finally repulsed with severe loss. Later 
in the afternoon relief was sent Hill, who again 
attempted to force the Union position at Eller- 
son's Mill. From across the open fields, and in 
full view of the defenders of the cliff, the Con- 
federates moved down the slope in full range 
of the Federal batteries, but the fire was reserved 
by the Federals. As the approaching columns 
reached the stream the shells came screaming 





28 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

through the air from every waiting field-piece. 
Volley after volley of musketry was poured into 
the ranks of the Southerners. The hillside was 
soon covered by the victims of the gallant charge. 
'As darkness hovered over them there were no 
signs of the cessation of the combat. It was 
nine o'clock when Hill finally drew back his 
shattered forces to await the coming of the morn- 
ing. The Forty-fourth Georgia regiment suf- 
fered the loss of all of its officers, and thereby 
was unable to re-form its broken ranks. Both 
armies now prepared for another day of conflict. 

McClellan became convinced that Jackson was 
really approaching with a large force, and de- 
cided to change his base to the James River, 
leaving Porter with the Fifth corps on the banks 
of the Chickahominy, to prevent Jackson from 
interrupting this gigantic movement. It in- 
volved marching an army of 100,000 men, with 
a train of 5,000 heavily loaded wagons, and 
many siege-guns, together with 3,000 cattle to 
be driven across the marshy peninsula. 

On the night of the 26th, McCall's division was 
directed to fall back to the bridges across the 
Chickahominy near Gaines' Mill, and there make 
a stand, for the purpose of holding back the 
Confederates. Just before daylight the opera- 
tions of moving the troops began. 

The Confederates were equally alert, and 
opened a heavy fire upon the retreating columns. 
The Union force under McCall, by being skill- 
fully handled, succeeded in reaching their new 



SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES 29 

position on the Chickahominy heights, and on 
the morning of the new day made ready for 
action. The selection of this ground had been 
well made; they occupied a series of heights 
fronted on the west by a cycle shaped stream. 
The land beyond was an open country, through 
which a creek meandered sluggishly, and beyond 
this a densely tangled undergrowth. Around 
the Union position also were many patches of 
woods, affording cover for the reserves. 

To protect the Federals, trees had been felled 
along their front, out of which barriers, protected 
by rails and knapsacks, were erected. 

Jackson 's forces had united with those of Long- 
street and the two Hills, and were advancing with 
grim determination of victory. 

It was two o'clock, on June 28th, when Gen- 
eral A. P. Hill swung his division into line for 
the attack. He was unsupported by the other 
divisions, which had not yet arrived on the field. 
His columns moved rapidly toward the Union 
front, and was met by a hailstorm of lead from 
Porter's artillery, which sent messages of death 
to the approaching lines of gray. 

The Confederate front recoiled from the in- 
cessant outpour of grape, cannister and shell. 
The repulse threw the Confederates into great 
confusion. Many left the field in disorder. 
Others threw themselves on the ground to escape 
the withering fire, while some held their places. 

The Federals were reenforced by General Slo- 
cum's division of Franklin's corps. 





80 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

Lee ordered a general attack upon the entire 
Union front. Reenforcements were brought up 
to take the place of the shattered regiments. The 
troops moved forward in the face of a heavy fire 
and pressed up the hillside against the Union 
line at fearful sacrifice. It was a death grapple 
for the mastery of the field. 

At this time General Lee observed Hood of 
Jackson's corps coming down the road bringing 
his brigade into the fight. Riding forward to 
meet him, Lee directed that he should try to 
break the Union line. Hood, in addressing his 
troops, said that no man should fire until ordered, 
then started for the Union breastwork 800 yards 
away. They moved rapidly across the open un- 
der a shower of shot and shell. At every step 
the ranks grew thinner and thinner. They quick- 
ened their pace as they passed down the slope 
and across the creek. Not a shot had they fired. 
With the wing of death hovering over all, they 
fixed bayonets and, dashing up the hill into the 
Federals ' line, with a shout they plunged through 
the felled timber and over the breastworks. The 
Union line had been pierced and was giving way, 
and the retreat was threatening to develop into 
a general rout. But the Federals at this moment 
were reenforced by the brigades of French and 
Meagher of Sumner's corps. This stopped the 
pursuit and, as night was at hand, the Southern 
soldiers withdrew. The battle of Gaines' Mill 
was then over. 

General Lee believed that McClellan would 



SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES 31 

retreat down the Peninsula, but on June 29th, 
this being the next day after the battle of Gaines' 
Mill, he became convinced that the Federals were 
moving towards the James River. Longstreet 
and A. P. Hill were again ordered to take up the 
pursuit of the Federals. 

McClellan had left Sumner to guard his re- 
treating columns. Sumner followed up in the 
rear of the Federals and brought his men to a 
halt at what is known as the ' ' Peach Orchard, ' * 
near Savage's Station, and successfully resisted 
the spirited fire of musketry and artillery of the 
Confederates. On this same Sunday evening he 
was attacked by General Magruder with a large 
force, who was following close on the heels of 
the Army of the Potomac. Magruder brought 
his artillery into action, but failed to dislodge 
the Federals. He then charged the Union breast- 
works and was met with a vigorous fire, and the 
battle raged over the entire field. Both sides 
stood their ground until darkness closed the con- 
test. The battle of Savage's Station was now 
over. Before midnight Sumner had withdrawn 
his forces and was following after the wagon 
trains of McClellan. 

The Confederates were pursuing McClellan in 
two columns, one led by Jackson and the other 
by Longstreet. The division under Longstreet 
came upon the Federals at Glendale, where they 
were guarding the right flank of the retreat. 
The Federals were attacked by a part of Long- 
street's division led by General McCall, but was 





32 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

repulsed with great loss. Longstreet ordered a 
general attack. One Alabama brigade charged 
across the field in the face of the Union batteries. 
The men had to go a distance of 600 yards. The 
batteries let loose grape and canister, while 
volley after volley of musketry sent its death- 
dealing messages among the Southerners. But 
nothing except grim death itself could check their 
impetuous charge. Pausing for an instant, they 
delivered a volley of musketry and attempted 
to seize the guns. Bayonets were crossed and 
men engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle. Dark- 
ness closed on the fearful scene, yet the fighting 
continued. The Federals finally withdrew from 
the field to follow up their retreating columns. 

There fell into the hands of the Confederates 
a field hospital, filled with the wounded, gathered 
from the fields of Gaines' Mill, Savage's Station 
and Glendale. These wounded were taken charge 
of as prisoners, along with their attending physi- 
cians. This proved to be a great burden to the 
Confederates, as they were taxed to their utmost 
caring for their own wounded. 

By this series of engagements McClellan was 
enabled to reach Malvern Hill, on the James 
River, with his army intact. By noon on July 1st 
his last division had reached its position. The 
Confederates, led by Longstreet, were close on 
his trail, and were soon brought up to the Union 
outposts. 

Malvern Hill, a plateau a mile and a half long 
and half a mile wide, with its top bare of woods, 




GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT 



'SEVEN DAYS' BATTLES 33 

commanded a view of the country over whicli the 
Confederates must approach. Around the sum- 
mit of this hill McClellan had placed tier after 
tier of batteries, arranged like an amphitheater. 
On the top were placed several heavy siege guns, 
his left flank being protected by the gunboats 
in the river. The morning and early afternoon 
were occupied by several Confederate attacks, 
sometimes formidable in their nature, but Lee 
planned for no general move until he could bring 
up a force which he thought sufficient to attack 
the strong position of the Federals. The Con- 
federates had orders to advance, when a signal 
shout was given by the men of Armistead's 
brigade. The attack was made late in the after- 
noon by General D. H. Hill, and was gallantly 
done, but no army could have withstood the fire 
from the batteries of McClellan as they were 
massed upon Malvern Hill. All during the even- 
ing brigade after brigade tried to force the Union 
lines. They were forced to breast one of the 
most devastating storms of lead and canister to 
which an assaulting army has ever been sub- 
jected. The round shot and grape cut through 
the branches of the trees. Column after column 
of Southern soldiers rushed upon the death deal- 
ing cannon, only to be mowed down. Their thin 
lines rallied again and again to the charge, but 
to no avail. McClellan 's batteries still hurled 
their missiles of death. The field below was cov- 
ered with the dead, as mute pleaders in the cause 
of peace. The heavy shells from the gunboats 





34 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

on the river shrieked through the timber and 
great limbs were torn from the trees as they 
hurtled by. Darkness was falling over the com- 
batants. It was nine o'clock before the guns 
ceased firing, and only an occasional shot rang 
out over the gory field of Malvern Hill. 

The next day the Confederates, looking up 
through the drenching rain to where had stood 
the grim batteries and lines of blue, saw only 
deserted ramparts. The Federal army had re- 
treated during the night to Harrison's Landing, 
where it remained until August. 

President Lincoln became convinced that the 
operations from the James River as a base were 
impracticable, and orders were issued for the 
army to be withdrawn from the peninsula. 

The net result of the Seven Days' Battles was 
a disappointment to the South, as the Southern 
public believed that McClellan should not have 
been allowed to reach the James River with his 
army intact, although the siege of Richmond had 
been raised. 

Generals McClellan, Jackson, A. P. Hill, G. W. 
Smith, Joseph E. Johnston and Lee, as well as 
other commanding officers of this series of bat- 
tles about Richmond, had been great friends. 
Some of them had attended school together at 
"West Point, and many of them had enjoyed each 
other's fellowship while members of the Aztec 
Club in the City of Mexico, which was an organ- 
ization of American officers, while for a few 
months they were in the Mexican capital at the 



'SEVEN DAYS* BATTLES 



35 



close of the Mexican war. General Franklin 
Pierce was president of the club, who was after- 
wards President of the United States. 

Generals McClellan and Joseph E. Johnston 
were special friends even after the war, and in 
a conversation with McClellan Johnston remarked 
^* You never know what is in a man until you try 
to lick him. ' ' 





THE BATTLE OF CEDAR 
MOUNTAIN 

After the failure of McClellan's Peninsula 
campaign General John Pope was called from 
the West to Washington to take charge of the 
Union forces, and arrived in June, 1862. A new 
army was made up from the respective divisions 
of McDowell, Banks and Fremont, which was 
to be known as the Army of Virginia. General 
Pope at first refused to take command of this 
army, for the reason that McDowell, Banks and 
Fremont were superior officers in rank to him- 
self, but was prevailed upon to take the com- 
mand, which he did, and in an address to his 
army he ended with the statement, *'My head- 
quarters will be in the saddle. ' ' When this was 
shown to General Lee, he grimly commented, 
"Perhaps his headquarters will be where his 
hindquarters ought to be." 

Fremont refused to serve under Pope, whom 
he considered his junior, and resigned. His 
corps was assigned to General Sigel. 

Pope's idea was to draw Lee's army away 
from following that of McClellan down the 
peninsula, and advanced from Washington with 
Gordonsville as his objective point. This place, 
being at the junction of a railroad, was a base 
of supplies for the Southern army. 
36 



CEDAR MOUNTAIN 37 

The sagacious Lee had divined his intentions 
and sent Stonewall Jackson and Ewell to occupy 
this town. Ewell arrived in advance of Jack- 
son, and held the town. Jackson, coming up 
later, took full command of the army. 

On July 27th, A. P. Hill also joined him with 
his corps, which brought their strength up to 
about 25,000 men. 

The Union army now occupied that portion 
of the country around Culpeper Court House. 
Pope soon found that his brilliant success in the 
West was not like measuring swords with the 
Confederate generals in Virginia. 

On August 6th Pope began his general ad- 
vance on Gordonsville. Jackson, being in- 
formed of his advance, immediately set his 
army in motion for Culpeper Court House, 
hoping to crush the' Army of Virginia before it 
reached the neighborhood of Gordonsville, so 
as to nowise interrupt their base of supplies. 
Jackson succeeded in crossing the Rapidan 
River and took a strong position two miles be- 
yond on Cedar Mountain, which is a foothill 
of the Blue Ridge. From its summit could be 
seen vast stretches of quiet farm lands, which 
had borne their annual harvest since the days 
of the Cavaliers. Its slopes were covered with 
forests, which merged into waving grain fields 
and pasture lands, dotted here and there with 
rural homes. It was on these slopes that one 
of the most severe short battles of the war was 
fought. 





38 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

Jackson placed Ewell's batteries on the slope 
about 200 feet above the valley, and General 
Winder took a strong position on the left. 

General Pope well knew that the whole North 
was eagerly watching his movements, and re- 
solved to make an attack, as he must strike some- 
where, and do it soon — and here was his chance. 
He sent Banks, with 8,000 men, to make the attack 
against the Southerners in their strong position 
on the mountain side. 

Banks advanced against the enemy on the 
afternoon of August 9th. He advanced through 
open fields in full range of the Confederate 
cannon, which presently opened with roar of 
thunder. The men, heedless of all danger, 
pressed on up the slope, but were suddenly met 
by a brigade of Ewell's division, and a brief 
deadly encounter took place. The Confederate 
lines began to waver, and no doubt would have 
been routed but for the timely aid of two 
brigades which rallied to their support. Mean- 
while the Union batteries had been wheeled into 
position and their roar answered that of the 
Confederates on the hill. For three hours the 
battle continued with utmost fury. The fields 
were strewn with the dead and dying, who fell 
to rise no more. At length, as the shades of 
evening were settling over the gory field, Banks 
began to withdraw his troops, but left 2,000 of 
his brave men — one-fourth of his whole army — 
dead or dying along the hillside. The Con- 
federate losses were about 1,300. On account 



CEDAR MOUNTAIN 39 

of the peculiar situation of the armies during 
the battle, their wounded could not be taken 
charge of, who suffered terribly from thirst and 
lack of attention as the sultry day gave way to 
a close, oppressive night. For two days the 
armies faced each other across the valley, then 
quietly withdrew. 

Pope's first battle, as leader of the Army of 
Virginia, had resulted in neither victory nor 
defeat. This battle was a prelude to a far more 
disastrous battle to be fought a few days later 
at Bull Run. 





SECOND BATTLE OF 
BULL RUN 

The three weeks intervening between the bat- 
tles of Cedar Mountain and Second Bull Run 
were spent in heavy skirmishing and getting 
position for a decisive battle. General Pope's 
headquarters was at Culpeper Court House, 
but he had left much of his personal baggage 
and private papers at Catlett's Station, on the 
Orange and Alexandria railroad, while his vast 
store of supplies was at Manassas Junction. 

Pope was expecting to be reenforced by Mc- 
Clellan, but they had not yet arrived. Mean- 
while Lee had sent Longstreet with his corps to 
reenforce Jackson, and followed up later him- 
self. Longstreet reached Gordonsville on the 
13th day of August. 

Lee observed that Pope 's position was weak at 
Culpeper and determined to attack him without 
delay and gave orders for his army to cross the 
Rapidan. Pope knew that his position at Cul- 
peper was weak and fell back to a stronger posi- 
tion behind the Rappahannock. 

Lee hoped to attack the Army of Virginia 
before it could be reenforced by McClellan, but, 
on account of heavy rains, which raised the 
streams, he was somewhat delayed until Pope 
had been reenforced by a part of Burnside's 
40 



SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN 41 

corps, under General Reno, and later was also 
reenforced by Generals Kearny and Reynolds 
with their divisions of the Army of the Potomac. 

Lee sent the dauntless cavalry leader J. E. B. 
Stuart to make a raid around the Union army. 
Stuart crossed the Rappahannock with 1,500 
mounted men, as bold as himself. After riding 
all day, and on the night of the 22d, in the 
midst of a torrential rainstorm, while the dark- 
ness was so intense that every man was guided 
by the tread of his brother horseman, Stuart fell 
upon the Federals at Catlett's Station, captur- 
ing 200 prisoners and scattering the remaining 
troops in the darkness. He seized Pope's dis- 
patch-book, with his* plans and private papers, 
took several hundred horses and destroyed a 
large number of wagons loaded with supplies. 
Among his trophies was a fine uniform cloak 
and hat, which were the personal belongings of 
General Pope. These were exchanged later for 
General Stuart's plumed hat, which he had left 
behind when surprised by a party of Federals. 

Stuart's raid proved a serious misfortune for 
Pope's army. But Lee had far greater things 
in store. He resolved to send Jackson to Pope's 
rear with a large force, Jackson led his army 
westward, which was shielded by woods and 
low hills of the Blue Ridge. He passed through 
a quiet rural community. The majority of the 
country folk had never seen an army before, 
though it is true that for many days they had 





42 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

heard the roar of the cannon from the valley 
of the Rapidan. 

General Lee, in the meantime, had kept Long- 
street in front of Pope's army to make daily 
demonstrations, to divert Pope's attention from 
Jackson's movements and lead him to believe 
that he was to be attacked in front. 

Jackson suddenly, on August 26th, emerged 
from the Bull Run Mountains and marshaled his 
clans on the plains of Manassas. 

Pope was astonished to find Jackson in his 
rear, and hastened with all speed with his forces 
toward Manassas Junction, where he had vast 
stores of provisions and munitions of war, but 
he was too late to save them. They had been 
taken by General Stuart in advance of Jackson 's 
army. This was a serious loss to Pope. The 
spoils of the capture were great, including 300 
prisoners, 125 horses, ten locomotives, seven long 
trains of provisions, and vast stores and muni- 
tions of war. Pope was moving against Jack- 
son with a far larger army, and was expecting 
to be reenforced from the Army of the Potomac, 
while on the other hand, Longstreet was hasten- 
ing to reenforce Jackson, but had not arrived. 

Pope, hoping to crush Jackson's army before 
he could be reenforced by Longstreet, sent a 
force to interpose Longstreet at Thoughfare 
Gap. Jackson was not to be caught in a trap. 
He moved from Manassas Junction to the old 
battlefield of Bull Run. 



SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN 43 

Late in the afternoon of the 29th he encoun- 
tered King^s division of McDoweirs corps, near 
the village of Grroveton, and a sharp fight was 
opened and kept up until after dark. 

On the following day, August 29th, the first 
day's battle was fought. Pope was still hope- 
ful of crushing Jackson 's army before the arrival 
of Longstreet, and ordered a general advance 
across Bull Kun. 

Ere long a loud shout arose from Jackson's 
men that told too well of the arrival of Long- 
street. Far away on the hills could be seen the 
marching columns of Longstreet, who had passed 
through the gap in safety and was now rush- 
ing upon the field. 'Pope had lost the oppor- 
tunity of fighting the army of his opponent in 
sections. 

The field was almost the same that the oppos- 
ing armies had occupied the year before, when 
the first great battle of the war was fought, and 
many of them were the same men. 

The two armies faced each other in a line five 
miles long. Late in the afternoon, the regi- 
ments, under Kearny and Hooker, charged the 
Confederate left, which was swept back and 
rolled upon the center. But presently General 
Hood, with his famous Texan brigade, rushed 
forward in a wild, irresistible dash, pressed the 
Federals back and captured several prisoners. 

Darkness closed over the scene and the two 
armies rested on their arms until morning. 





44 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

Over the gory field lay multitudes of men who 
would dream of battlefields no more. 

Lee and Pope each believed that the other 
would withdraw his army during the night, and 
each was surprised in the morning to find his 
opponent on the field. It was quite certain that 
on this day, August 30th, there would be a de- 
cisive battle, in which one army would be victor 
and the other defeated. Both armies were in 
full force, the Confederates with over 50,000 
men, whose left wing was commanded by Jack- 
son and the right by Longstreet, and the Union 
army with about 65,000 men, whose left wing 
was commanded by Porter and the right by 
Eeno. 

In the early hours of the morning the hills 
echoed with the firing of artillery. Porter made 
an infantry attack in the forenoon, and was 
pressed back in great confusion by superior 
numbers. One attack after another followed. 
In the afternoon a large part of the Union army 
made a desperate attack on the Confederate left, 
under Jackson, but their lines were swept by an 
enfilading fire from the batteries of Longstreet. 
Ghastly gaps were cut in the Federal ranks, and 
they fell back, but rallied again and again to 
the attack, each time to be mowed down by 
Longstreet 's artillery. At length Longstreet 's 
whole line rushed forward and the Union front 
began to waver. General Lee ordered a general 
advance. Pope retreated across Bull Run, leav- 



SECOND BATTLE OF BULL RUN 45 



ing several thousand prisoners in the hands of 
the Confederates. 

Pope led his army back to the entrenchments 
at Washington, while Jackson and Stuart fol- 
lowed close on the heels of his army, and he was 
compelled to make several stands in battle on his 
retreat, in one of which General Kearny was 
killed. 





BATTLE OF ANTIETAM 

After Pope's disastrous defeat at Second Bull 
Kun he begged to be relieved of the command 
of the army. He gave as one of the causes of 
his defeat that General Fitz John Porter had 
disobeyed orders. General Porter's explanation 
to the Court Marshal failed to convince it and 
he was dismissed from the service. 

The Army of Virginia and that of the Po- 
tomac being united, the command was handed 
to the ''Little Napoleon" of Peninsula fame, 
George B. McClellan. 

The South was overjoyed with its victory at 
Bull Run — twice it had unfurled its banner in 
triumph on this battlefield — twice its army had 
stood on the road that leads to Washington, only 
by some strange destiny of war to fail to enter 
it on the wave of victory. 

This subject, "The Battle of Antietam," is 
considered one of the turning points of the war, 
for it was after this battle that President Lincoln 
issued his emancipation proclamation, although 
it is said that he had it prepared for some time 
but on account of the continued defeat of his 
armies in Virginia he could not see his way clear 
to declare it until after the battle of Antietam. 

Lee 's army, 50,000 strong, crossed the Potomac 
and concentrated around Frederick, Md., only 
46 



ANTIETAM 47 

about forty miles from "Washington. When it 
became known that Lee was advancing into 
Maryland and was threatening Washington, Mc- 
Clellan pushed his forces forward to encounter 
the invaders. The people of the vicinity, and 
even at Harrisburg, Baltimore and Philadelphia, 
were filled with consternation. Their fear was 
intensified by the memory of Second Bull Run, 
a few weeks before, and by the fact that at this 
time General Bragg was marching northward 
across Kentucky with a great army, threatening 
Louisville and Cincinnati. 

Lee sent Jackson against the Union forces at 
Harper *s Ferry, which is at the junction of the 
Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers, at which place 
there were stored valuable stores and munitions 
of war. This place was made famous by John 
Brown's raid a few years before. 

Jackson reached the neighborhood of Harper's 
Ferry on the morning of the 13th, and captured 
the town with but little opposition on the morn- 
ing of the 15th. There were turned over to him 
11,500 prisoners, seventy-three guns, 13,000 
small arms, 200 wagons, and a large store of 
supplies. In this enterprise Lee had achieved 
an important and valuable success. 

Longstreet, who had advanced to Hagerstown, 
probably with the intention of invading Penn- 
sylvania, was hastily recalled and sent to reen- 
force D. H. Hill, who was being severely pushed 
at Boonsborough Gap by McClellan. The de- 
fense of this path had been very necessary to 





48 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

Lee, but, after a desperate conflict, the Union 
army succeeded in forcing its way through, this 
being the first set-back to Lee's invasion, and 
he conceived at once that a great battle was at 
hand and began to concentrate his forces. 

Jackson was marching with all haste to Sharps- 
burg, near by Antietam Creek, having left A. P. 
Hill to receive the surrender at Harper's Ferry, 
and on the morning of the 16th the whole army, 
with the exception of the force of A. P. Hill, left 
at Harper's Ferry, was concentrated behind An- 
tietam Creek. 

McClellan's army reached the opposite side of 
the stream on the same day. 

The bulk of the Confederate forces, under 
Longstreet and D. H. Hill, stood along the range 
of heights between Sharpsburg and Antietam 
Creek, with Longstreet on the right and Hill 
on the left, and Hood's division on the Hagers- 
town road north of Miller 's farm, and near that 
point, in the rear, Jackson's exhausted troops 
were in reserve. 

His lines, stretching from the Hagerstown road 
towards the Potomac, were protected by Stuart's 
cavalry. General Lee had his headquarters in 
a tent on a hill near Sharpsburg, where the 
National Cemetery now is, and from that point 
he overlooked much of the country that was 
made a battlefield the next day. 

Antietam Creek was spanned by four stone 
bridges, which were strongly guarded. 

McClellan made his headquarters at the fine 




JOHN BROWN ON HIS WAY TO THE GALLOWS 



ANTIETAM 49 

brick mansion of Philip Pry, about two miles 
east of Antietam. His army was posted in front 
on each side, one wing under Sumner and the 
other under Hooker. Farther down the stream, 
and not far from bridge No. 3, Burnside's 
corps was posted. McClellan's artillery was 
planted on the hills in front of Sumner and 
Hooker. This was the general position of the 
contending armies on the 16th. 

This was a day of intense anxiety and unrest 
in the valley of the Antietam. The people, who 
had lived in the farm houses that dotted the 
golden autumn landscape in this hitherto quiet 
community, had now abandoned their homes and 
given place to the gathering thousands who were 
marching to the stern command of the officers. 
It was a day of maneuvering and getting posi- 
tion preparatory to the coming mighty conflict. 
The two great armies now lay facing each 
other in a grand double line three miles in 
length. At one point they were so near together 
that the pickets could hear each other tread. 
It would require no prophet to foretell what 
would happen on the morrow. 

On the night of the 16th few officers found 
relief from anxiety, and it goes without saying 
that many a soldier on this particular night, 
with his mind on the battle which was to be 
fought on the morrow, did not close his eyes in 
slumber. 

Beautiful and clear the morning broke over 
the Maryland hills on the fateful 17th of Sep- 

4 





50 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

tember, 1862. The sunlight had not yet touched 
the crowned hilltops when artillery fire an- 
nounced the opening of the battle. The contest 
was opened by Hooker with about 8,000 men. 
He made a vigorous attack on the Confederate 
left, commanded by Jackson, and was supported 
by Doubleday on the right, and Meade on the 
left. He had not gone far before the glint of 
the rising sun disclosed the bayonet points of a 
large Confederate force standing in a cornfield 
in his immediate front. This was a part of 
Jackson's corps, who had arrived during the 
morning of the 16th from the capture of Har- 
per's Ferry, and had been posted in this posi- 
tion to surprise Hooker in his advance. The 
outcome was a terrible surprise to the Confed- 
erates. Hooker's batteries hurried into action 
and opened with canister on the cornfield. 
Hooker's object was to push the Confederates 
back through a line of woods and seize the 
Hagerstown road and the woods beyond in the 
vicinity of the Dunker church. Around this 
church on this fateful day the demon of war 
reigned supreme, and near this church stood 
the fine mansion of a Mr. Mumma, which was 
fired by a retreating column of Confederate 
troops and burned throughout the entire en- 
gagement. The Federal batteries on the east 
side of the Antietam poured an enfilading fire 
on Jackson that galled him very much. The 
Confederates stood bravely against this fire and 
made a determined resistance. Back, and still 



ANTIETAM 51 

further back, were Jackson's men driven across 
the field, every stalk of corn in which was cut 
down by the shot and shell as closely as a knife 
could have done it. On the ground the fallen 
lay in rows, precisely as they had stood in the 
ranks. The Confederates were driven from the 
cornfield into a patch of woods. Hooker now 
advanced his center under Meade to seize the 
Hagerstown road and the woods beyond. They 
were met by a murderous fire from Jackson, who 
had just been reenforced by Hood's refreshed 
troops, who fell heavily upon Meade in the corn- 
field. Hooker called upon Doubleday for aid, 
and a brigade was forwarded at double-quick 
across the cornfield in the face of a terrible storm 
of shot and shell. The Federals were further 
reenforced by Mansfield's corps, and while his 
divisions were deploying this veteran comman- 
der was mortally wounded. General Williams 
succeeded to the command of his corps, who 
pushed on across the open fields and seized a 
part of the woods on the Hagerstown road. At 
the same time Greene's division took position to 
the left of the Dunker church. This was on high 
ground and was the key to the Confederate left 
wing. But Greene's troops were exposed to a 
galling fire from the division of D. H. Hill and 
he called for reenforcements. General Sumner 
sent Sedgwick's division across the creek to reen- 
force Greene. His troops advanced straight 
towards the conflict. They found General 
Hooker severely wounded in the foot, which be- 





52 BATTLES OF THE. CIVIL WAR 

came so painful that he was carried off the field 
and left his troops in the command of Sumner. 
A sharp artillery fire was turned on Sedgwick 
before he reached the woods, west of the Hagers- 
town Pike, hut once in the shelter of the thick 
trees he passed in safety to the western edge. 
Here the division found itself in an ambush. 

The Confederates had been heavily reenforced 
by several brigades under Walker and McLaws, 
having just arrived from Harper's Ferry, and 
had not only blocked the front but had worked 
around to the rear of Sedgwick, who was wounded 
in the awful slaughter that followed, but he and 
Sumner finally extricated their men after severe 
loss. The Federals were now reenforced by 
Franklin's fresh troops and were able to hold 
the cornfield and part of the woods over which 
the conflict had raged till the ground was 
saturated with blood. 

Sedgwick was twice wounded and carried from 
the field. The command of his division involved 
on General Howard. 

It was now about noon and the battle had been 
raging since early in the morning. Another 
deadly conflict was in progress near the center. 
Sumner's corps had crossed the stream and made 
a desperate assault on the Confederates under 
D. H. Hill, stationed to the south of where the 
"battle had previously raged and along a sunken 
road, since known as ** Bloody Lane." The 
fighting here was of a most desperate character 
and continued nearly four hours. The Federal 



ANTIETAM 53 

advance was led by Generals French and Rich- 
ardson, who captured a few flags and several 
prisoners, but failed to carry the heights along 
which the Confederates were posted. Richard- 
son was mortally wounded while leading a charge 
and was succeeded by General Hancock, but his 
men finally captured Bloody Lane with the 300 
living men who remained to defend it. 

The final Federal charge was made at this 
point by Colonel Barlow, who displayed the ut- 
most bravery, where he won a brigadier-general- 
ship. He was later wounded and carried off the 
field. The Confederates had fought desperately 
to hold their position at Bloody Lane, and when 
it was captured it was filled with dead bodies. It 
was now after one o 'clock and the firing ceased 
for the day on the Union right and center. 

General Burnside was in command of the Fed- 
eral left wing and had remained inactive for 
some hours after the battle had begun at the 
other end of the line, having finally received 
orders from McClellan to cross the stone bridge, 
since known as Burnside 's Bridge, and drive the 
Confederates out of their strong position. The 
Confederates at this bridge were commanded by 
General Toombs, who had orders from General 
Lee to hold the bridge at all hazards. They 
were behind strong breastworks and rifle pits, 
which commanded the bridge with both a direct 
and enfilading fire. General Robert Toombs had 
been a former United States senator and a mem- 
ber of Jefferson Davis' cabinet. Perhaps the 





54 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

most notable event of his life was the holding of 
the Burnside Bridge at Antietam for three hours 
against the fearful onslaughts of the Federals. 
Burnside 's chief officer at this time was General 
Jacob D. Cox, afterwards governor of Ohio, who 
succeeded General Reno, killed at South Moun- 
tain or Boonsborough Gap. On General Cox 
fell the task of capturing the stone bridge. 

The Confederates had been weakened at this 
point by the sending of "Walker to the support 
of Jackson, where, as we have noticed, he took 
part in the deadly assault upon Sedgwick's 
division. 

Toombs, with his small force, had a hard task 
of defending the bridge, notwithstanding his 
advantage of position. McClellan sent several 
urgent orders to General Burnside to cross the 
bridge at all hazards. Burnside forwarded 
these to Cox and in the fear that the latter would 
not be able to carry the bridge by a direct front 
attack, he sent General Rodman with a division 
to cross the creek at a ford below. This was 
accomplished after much difficulty. One assault 
after another was made upon the bridge in rapid 
succession, which was at length carried at the 
cost of 500 men. Burnside charged up the hill 
and drove the Confederates almost to Sharps- 
burg. The fighting along the Sharpsburg road 
might have resulted in the Confederates' dis- 
aster and the capture of General Lee's head- 
quarters had it not been for the timely arrival 
of A. P. Hill's division, which emerged out of 



ANTIETAM 55 

a cloud of dust on the Harper's Ferry road and 
came upon the field at double quick, and, under 
a heavy fire of artillery, charged upon Burnside 's 
columns and after severe fighting, in which Gen- 
eral Rodman was mortally wounded, drove the 
Federals back almost to the bridge. The pur- 
suit was checked by the Federal artillery on the 
eastern side of the stream. Darkness closed the 
conflict. 

Lee had counted on the arrival of A. P. Hill 
in time to help hold the Federals in check at 
the bridge, but he was late and came up just in 
time to save the army from disastrous defeat. 

"With the gloom of that night ended the con- 
flict known as Antietam. 

For fourteen hours more than 100,000 men, 
with 500 pieces of artillery, had engaged in 
Titanic conflict. As the battle's smoke rose and 
cleared away the scene presented was one to 
make the stoutest heart shudder. There lay upon 
the ground, scattered for three miles over the 
valleys and hills, and in the improvised hospitals, 
more than 20,000 men. 

Horace Greeley was probably right when he 
said that this was the bloodiest day in American 
history. 





THE BATTLE OF MURFREES- 
BORO 

The fall months of 1862 had been spent by Gen- 
erals Bragg and Buell in racing across Ken- 
tucky, each at the head of a large army. Buell 
had saved Louisville from the hands of the Con- 
federates, while on the other hand Bragg had 
succeeded in carrying away a large amount of 
plunder and supplies for his army which he had 
gathered from the country through which he 
passed, and of which his army was in great need. 

The authorities at Washington became impa- 
tient with Buell on account of his permitting the 
Confederate army to escape intact, and decided 
to relieve him of the command of the army, which 
was handed to General W. S. Rosecrans, who had 
won considerable distinction by his victories at 
Corinth and other engagements in the West. 
The Union army was now designated as the 
Army of the Cumberland. 

Bragg was concentrating his army at Murf rees- 
boro, in central Tennessee, which was near Stone 's 
River, a tributary of the Cumberland River. 

On the last days of December General Bragg 
was advised of the Federals' advance from Nash- 
ville, which is about thirty miles from Murfrees- 
boro, and he lost no time in taking position and 
getting his army into w^ell-drawn battle lines. 
5Q 



MURFREESBORO 57 

His left wing under General Hardee, the center 
Polk, and his right wing under Breckenridge, 
his cavalry division was commanded by Generals 
Wheeler, Forrest and Morgan. His lines were 
three miles in length. On December 30th the 
Federals came up from Nashville and took posi- 
tion directly opposite in a parallel line. The 
Federal left was commanded by Thos. L. Critten- 
den, whose brother was a commander in the Con- 
federate army, and were sons of a famous United 
States senator from Kentucky. The Federal 
center was in command of General George H. 
Thomas, and the right wing under General Mc- 
Cook. Rosecrans had under his command about 
43,000 men, while the strength of the Confed- 
erates was about 38,000. 

The two armies bivouacked within musket 
range of each other, and the camp-fires of each 
were clearly seen by the other, as they shown 
through the groves of trees. 

It was plain to be seen that a deadly combat 
would begin with the coming of the morning. 

Rosecrans had planned to attack the Confed- 
erate right under Breckinridge, while on the 
other hand Bragg had planned to attack the 
Federal left under McCook, and to seize the 
Nashville turnpike and thereby cut off Rosecrans' 
retreat. Neither, of course, knew of the other's 
plan. 

At the break of day, on December 31st, the 
Confederate left moved forward in a magnificent 
battle-line, about a mile in length and two 





58 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

columns deep. At the same time the Confed- 
erate artillery opened with their cannon. The 
Federals were astonished at so fierce and sud- 
den a charge and were ill prepared. Before 
McCook could arrange them several batteries 
were overpowered and several heavy guns fell 
into the hands of the Confederates. The Union 
troops fell back in confusion and seemed to have 
no power to check the impetuous charge of the 
onrushing foe. Only one division, under Gen- 
eral Philip H. Sheridan, held its ground. Sill's 
brigade of Sheridan's division drove the Con- 
federates in front of its back to their entrench- 
ments, but in this charge the brave commander 
lost his life. • 

While the battle raged with tremendous fury 
on the Union right, Rosecrans was three miles 
away, throwing his left across the river. Hear- 
ing the terrific roar of the cannon and rattle of 
the musketry, he hastened to attack Breckin- 
ridge, hoping to draw a portion of the Confed- 
erate force away from the attack on his right. 
Ere long the sound of battle was coming nearer, 
and he rightly divined that his right wing was 
being rapidly driven upon his center by the dash- 
ing soldiers of the South. He ordered McCook 
to dispute every inch of the ground; but Mc- 
Cook 's command was torn to pieces except the 
division of Sheridan, w^hich stood firm against 
the overwhelming numbers, which stand at- 
tracted the attention of the country and brought 
military fame to Sheridan. He checked the on- 



MURFREESBORO 59 

rushing foe at the point of the bayonet, and 
re-formed his lines under a heavy fire. Rose- 
crans ordered up the reserves to the support of 
the Union center and right. Here for two hours 
longer the battle raged with unabated fury. 
Three times the Confederate left and center were 
thrown against the Union lines, but failed to 
break them. At length it was discovered that 
the ammunition was exhausted in Sheridan's 
division and he withdrew in good order to a plain 
near the Nashville road. The Confederates' 
advance was checked by the division of Thomas. 

It was now in the afternoon, and still the 
battle raged in the woods and on the hills about 
Murfreesboro. 

The Federal right and center had been forced 
back to Stone's River, while Bragg 's right was 
on the same stream close to the Federal line. 

In the meantime Rosecrans had massed his 
artillery on a hill overlooking the field. He had 
also re-formed his broken lines, and had called 
12,000 fresh troops from his left into action. The 
battle re-opened with utmost fury, and the ranks 
of both armies were torn with grape and canister 
and bursting shells. 

General Breckinridge brought all of his divi- 
sion excepting one brigade into the action. They 
had for some time been inactive and were re- 
freshed by a short rest. The Confederates now 
began a vigorous attack upon the Federal col- 
umns, but were swept by a raking artillery fire. 
They rallied again to the attack, but their ranks 





60 BATTLES OF TH^ CIVIL WAR 

were again swept by Rosecrans' artillery and 
the assault was abandoned. 

Darkness was now drawing over the scene of 
battle, and the firing abated slowly and died 
away. It had been a bloody day, the dead and 
dying lay upon the field and in the hospitals in 
great numbers, and with the awful gloom and 
suffering of that night ended the first day 's bat- 
tle at Murfreesboro. 

The next day was the first of the new year, and 
both armies remained inactive during the entire 
day, except to quietly prepare to renew the con- 
flict on the morrow. The renewal of the battle 
on January 2d was fully expected, but there was 
but little fighting until late in the afternoon. 
Rosecrans had sent General Van Cleve across the 
river to occupy an elevation from which he could 
shell the town of Murfreesboro. 

Bragg sent Breckinridge to dislodge this divi- 
sion, which he did with splendid effect. But 
Breckinridge's men became exposed to the rak- 
ing fire of the Federal artillery across the stream 
and retreated to a place of safety with a loss of 
1,700 men killed and wounded. 

The next day brought no further conflict. On 
the night of January 3d General Bragg began 
to move his army away to winter quarters at 
Shelbyville. 

Murfreesboro was one of the great battles of 
the war, and, except at Antietam, had not thus 
far been surpassed. The losses were about 
13,000 to the Federals, and about 10,000 to the 



MUnFREUSBOBO 



61 



Confederates. Both sides claimed the victorjr — 
the South because of Bragg 's decided success on 
the first day ; the North because of Breckinridge 's 
fearful repulse on the last day's battle, and of 
Bragg 's retiring in the night and refusing to 
fight again. 





THE BATTLE OF FREDE- 
RICKSBURG 

The silent city of military graves at Fredericks- 
burg is a memorial of one of the bloodiest battles 
of the war. General McClellan failed to follow 
up the retreating Southern army after the bat- 
tle of Antietam, and thereby lost favor with the 
authorities at "Washington, and was relieved of 
the command of the army, which was handed to 
General Ambrose E. Burnside, who took com- 
mand of the Army of the Potomac on Novem- 
ber 9, 1862, and on the following day McClellan 
took leave of his troops. 

Burnside changed the whole plan of the cam- 
paign and decided to move on Fredericksburg on 
the Eappahannock River. His army moved for- 
ward in three divisions, under Sumner, Hooker 
and Franklin. They were delayed several days 
in crossing the river, due to the failure of the 
arrival of the pontoon bridges. A council of 
war was held on the night of December 10th, in 
which the officers were opposed to the plan of 
battle, but Burnside was determined to carry out 
his original plan immediately. After two days 
of skirmishing with the Confederate sharpshoot- 
ers he succeeded in getting his army across the 
river on the morning of December 13th. 

General Lee had by this time entrenched his 
62 



FREDERICKSBURG 63 

army on the hills surrounding Fredericksburg. 
His line stretched for five miles along the range 
of hills, surrounding the town on all sides save 
the east, where the river flows. The strongest 
position of the Confederates was on Marye's 
Heights, in the rear of the town. Along the foot 
of this hill was a stone wall about four feet high, 
bounding the eastern side of the Telegraph road, 
being depressed a few feet below the surface of 
the stone wall, and thus it formed a breastwork 
for the Confederate troops. Behind this wall a 
strong Confederate force was concealed, while 
higher up the hill in several ranks the main army 
was posted. The right wing of the Confederate 
army, consisting of about 30,000 men, com- 
manded by ''Stonewall" Jackson, was posted on 
an elevation near Hamilton's crossing of the 
Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad. The left 
wing was posted on Marye's Heights, and was 
commanded by the redoubtable Longstreet. The 
Southern forces numbered about 75,000 men. 

The town proper and the adjoining valleys 
had been occupied for two days by the Federal 
troops, marching to and fro and making ready 
for a decisive conflict, which required no 
prophet to foretell was near at hand. Franklin's 
division of 40,000 men was strengthened by a 
part of Hooker's division and was ordered to 
make the first attack on the Confederate right, 
"under Jackson. Sumner's division was also 
reenforced from Hooker's division and was 
formed for an assault against the Confederates, 
posted on Marye 's Heights. 





64 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

From the position taken by the Confederate 
forces their cannons and field artillery poured 
shot and shell into the town of Fredericksburg. 
Every house became a target, though deserted 
except by a few venturesome riflemen. There 
was scarcely a house that escaped. Ruined, bat- 
tered and bloody Fredericksburg three times 
was a Federal hospital and its back yards became 
little cemeteries. 

All this magnificent battle formation had been 
effected under cover of a dense fog, and when 
it lifted on that fateful Saturday there was re- 
vealed a scene of truly military grandeur. Con- 
cealed by the curtain of nature, the Southern 
army had entrenched itself most advantageously 
upon the hills, and the Union force massed in 
strength below, lay within cannon shot of their 
foe. The Union army totaled 113,000 men. 

When the fog lifted in the forenoon of De- 
cember 13th, Franklin's division was revealed 
in full strength marching and counter-marching 
in preparation of the coming conflict. Officers 
in new uniforms, thousands of bayonets gleam- 
ing in the sunshine, champing steeds, rattling 
gun-carriages whisking artillery into proper 
range, formed a scene of magnificent grandeur, 
which excited the admiration of all, even the Con- 
federates. This maneuver has been called the 
grandest military scene of the war, yet after all 
this show, Burnside's subordinate officers were 
unanimous in their belief in the rashness of the 
undertaking. It is said by historians that the 



FREDERICKSBURG 65 

Army of the Potomac never went down to battle 
with less alacrity than on this day at Fredericks- 
burg. 

The advance began about the middle of the 
forenoon on Jackson's right, which was made 
by the divisions led by Generals Meade, Double- 
day and Gibbon, who endeavored to seize one 
of the opposing heights on Jackson's extreme 
right. The advance was made in three lines of 
battle, which were guarded in front and on each 
flank by Jackson, whose artillery swept the field 
by both a front and an enfilading fire as the 
attacking columns advanced. And as the divi- 
sions approached within range Jackson's left 
poured a deadly fire of musketry upon them, 
which mowed down brave men in the Union 
lines in swaths, leaving broad gaps where men 
had stood. 

On the Federal columns came, only to be 
swept again and again by this murderous fire, 
but were at length repulsed. 

The Confederate lines were broken only once 
by a part of Meade's division, which captured 
a few flags and several prisoners. The lost 
ground was soon recovered by the Confederates. 
Some of the charges made by the Federals in 
this engagement were heroic in the extreme. In 
one advance knapsacks were unslung and bayo- 
nets fixed; a brigade marched across a plowed 
field and passed through broken lines of other 
brigades, which were retiring in confusion from 





66 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

the leaden storm. In every instance the Fed- 
erals were driven back in shattered columns. 

The dead and wounded lay in heaps. Soldiers 
were fleeing and officers were galloping to and 
fro, urging their lines forward. 
. At length they received orders to retreat, and 
in retiring from the field the destruction was 
almost as great as during the assault. Most of 
the wounded were brought from the field after 
the engagement, but the dead were left where 
they fell. 

During this engagement General George D. 
Bayard was mortally wounded by a shot that 
had severed the sword-belt of a subordinate 
officer who was standing by. 

While Franklin's division was engaged with 
the Confederate right, Sumner's division was 
engaged in a terrific assault upon the works of 
Marye's Heights, which was the stronghold of 
the Confederate forces. Their position was 
almost impregnable, consisting of earthworks, 
wood and stone barricades, running along the 
sunken road near the foot of the hill. The Fed- 
erals were not apprised of the sunken road nor 
of the Confederate force concealed behind the 
stone wall, under General Cobb. When the Fed- 
erals advanced up the road they were harassed 
by shot and shell at every step, but came dash- 
ing on in line notwithstanding the terrific fire 
which poured upon them. The Irish brigade of 
Hancock's division, under General Meagher, 
made a wonderful charge, the Irish soldiers 



FREDERICKSBURG 67 

moved steadily up the ridge until within a few 
yards of the sunken road, from which the unex- 
pected fire mowed them down. "When they re- 
turned from the assault but 250 out of 1,200 
men reported under arms from the field, and all 
these were needed to care for their wounded com- 
rades. This brigade, as we will notice later, 
distinguished itself at Gettysburg and other en- 
gagements. It lost more men in killed and 
wounded than any regiment that left the State 
of New York. When returning to be mustered 
out in 1865, it had only forty-seven men out of 
950 that enlisted four years before on first 
leaving for the front. 

Sumner sent column after column against this 
strong position, but they were repulsed with 
great slaughter. The approach was completely 
commanded by the Confederate batteries. 

Not only was the Confederate fire disastrous 
upon the approaching columns, but it also in- 
flicted great damage upon the masses of the 
Federal army, and it is said that in front of 
Marye's house, which was in the center where 
the charge was made, the Federals fell three 
deep in one of the bravest and bloodiest charges 
of the war. 

Six times did the Federals, raked by the 
deadly fire of Washington's artillery, advance 
to within 100 yards of the sunken road, only to 
be driven back by the rapid fire of the Confed- 
erate infantry concealed there. The Confed- 
erates' effective and successful work in this bat- 





68 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

tie was not alone due to their strong position, 
but also to the skill and generalship of the 
leaders, and the courage and well-directed aim 
of their cannoneers and infantry. 

The whole plain was covered with men, the 
living men running here and there, their broken 
lines closing up and the wounded being carried 
to the rear. 

The point and method of attack made by Sum- 
ner was anticipated by the Confederates, and 
careful preparation had been made to meet it. 

As the Federal columns advanced without 
hurrah or battle-cry, their entire lines were swept 
by a heavy artillery fire, which poured canister 
and shell and solid shot into their ranks from the 
front and on both sides with frightful results. 
The ground was so thickly strewn with dead 
bodies as seriously to impede the movements of 
renewed attack. These repeated assaults in such 
good order caused some fear on the part of Gen- 
eral Lee that they might eventually break his 
lines, and he conveyed his anxiety to General 
Longstreet, but his fears proved groundless. 

General Cobb, who had so gallantly defended 
the Confederate position at the sunken road, 
against the onslaughts of the Federals, fell mor- 
tally wounded and was carried from the field. 

His command was handed to Kershaw, who 
took his place in this desperate struggle. The 
onrushing Federals fell almost in battalions ; the 
dead and wounded lay in heaps. Late in the 
day the dead bodies, which had become frozen 



FREDERICKSBURG 



69 



from the extreme cold, were placed in front of 
the soldiers as a protection to shield the living. 

The steadiness of the Union troops and the 
silent and determined heroism of the rank and 
file in these repeated but hopeless assaults upon 
the Confederate works were marvelous indeed, 
and will go down in history as a monument to the 
memory of those who were engaged in this ter- 
rible conflict. 

After these disastrous attempts to carry the 
works of the Confederate left it was night; the 
Federals had retired ; hope was abandoned, and 
it was seen that the day was lost for the Union 
forces. The shattered Army of the Potomac 
sought to gather and care for the wounded. The 
beautiful Fredericksburg of a few days before 
now had put on a different appearance. Ances- 
tral homes were turned into hospitals. The 
charming drives and stately groves, and the 
pleasure grounds of the colonial days, were not 
filled with grand carriages and gay parties, but 
with war horses, soldiers and other military 
equipments, and had put on the gloom that fol- 
lows in the wake of a defeated army after a great 
battle. 

The plan of Burnside had ended in failure. 
In his report of the battle to Washington he gave 
reasons for the issue, and in a manly way took 
the responsibility upon himself and most highly 
commended his officers and men. 

President Lincoln's verdict of this battle is 
reverse to the unanimous opinions of the histo- 





70 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

rians. In his reply to Burnside's report of the 
battle he says, "Although you were not success- 
ful, the attempt was not an error, nor the failure 
other than accident." 

After the battle the wounded lay on the field 
in their agony, exposed to the freezing cold for 
forty-eight hours before they were cared for. 
Many were burned by the long dead grass be- 
coming ignited by the cannon fire. 

The scene witnessed was dreadful and heart- 
rending. The Union loss was about 12,000, and 
the Confederates less than half that number. 
The Union army was withdrawn across the river 
under the cover of darkness, and the battle of 
Fredericksburg had passed into history. 

Burnside, at his own request, was relieved of 
the command of the Army of the Potomac, which 
was handed to General Joseph Hooker. 



THE BATTLE OF CHANCEL- 
LORSVILLE 

After the battle of Fredericksburg the Union 
army went into winter quarters at Falmouth, 
only a few miles away, while the Confederates 
took up their encampment for the winter at 
Fredericksburg. 

General Joseph Hooker, who was popularly 
known as ''Fighting Joe Hooker,'' had suc- 
ceeded General Burnside in command of the 
Army of the Potomac, which numbered about 
130,000 men, while that of the Confederates 
numbered about 60,000. 

Hooker conceived the idea to divide his army 
and leave Sedgwick with about 40,000 men to 
make a feint upon the Confederates, stationed 
about Fredericksburg, and himself with the re- 
mainder of the army to move around Lee 's army 
and take a position at Chancellorsville, a small 
place in a wilderness country only a few miles 
from Fredericksburg, and by doing this, take 
Lee by surprise. These plans of Hooker have 
been considered by war historians as being well 
laid if they had been carried out. Lee was on 
the alert, and had heard of Hooker's plans, and 
was not to be caught in the trap. Lee, paying 
little attention to Sedgwick, east of Fredericks- 
burg, had turned to face Hooker. By rapid 
71 





72 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

night marches he met Hooker's army before it 
reached its destination. His advance columns 
were pushed back by the Federals, who succeeded 
in taking the position which was assigned to 
them, Meade on the left and Slocum on the right, 
with adequate support in the rear. All was in 
readiness and had favorable positions when, to 
the amazement of all the officers. Hooker ordered 
the whole army to fall back to the position 
it had occupied the day before, thereby leaving 
the advantage with Lee, who moved his forces 
up to the positions which the Federals evacuated 
and began feeling the Federal lines with some 
cannonading during the evening of May 1st. 

The Confederates were in extreme danger, hav- 
ing one large army in their front and another 
almost as large as theirs in their rear near Fred- 
ericksburg. But Lee decided to make one great 
and decisive blow at Hooker in front. During 
the night of May 1st Lee held council with 
''Stonewall" Jackson and accepted a plan laid 
out by him for Jackson to take part of the army 
and move around through the dense wood and 
rough country and fall upon the right flank of 
the enemy. 

Early on the morning of May 2d the cannon- 
ading began its death-song and the infantry was 
brought into action. Before long Jackson began, 
with a portion of the army, to move off the field, 
and Hooker, observing this, believed that Lee^s 
army was in full retreat on Richmond. This 
movement proved to be the undoing of Hooker's 



CHANCELLOBSVILLE 



73 



army, as Jackson was making for his right flank. 
It was about five o'clock in the afternoon when 
Jackson broke from the woods in a charge upon 
the unsuspecting troops of Hooker's right which 
was under Howard. 

The approach of Jackson's forces was first in- 
timated to the Federals by the bending of shrub- 
bery, the stampede of rabbits and squirrels, and 
the flocks of birds in wild flight from the woods. 
First appeared a few skirmishers, then the rat- 
tling of musketry and the incessant roar of 
cannon. On the Confederates came in their im- 
petuous charge. The charge was so unexpected 
and terrific that they carried everything before 
them. The Federal lines were swept as by tidal 
waves and rolled up like a scroll. 

This crowning and final stroke of Jackson's 
military genius was the result of his own care- 
fully worked-out plan, which had been approved 
by Lee. 

General Hooker was spending the evening at 
his headquarters at the Chancellor House, re- 
joicing, as he thought, that Jackson was in full 
retreat and everything appeared to be going well. 
Presently the roar of battle became louder and 
louder on his right and an officer came up at full 
speed to notify him that his right was being 
fiercely attacked, was giving away, and would 
soon be in utter rout. Hooker made haste to the 
scene of battle and passed through brigade after 
brigade of his forces in retreat and confusion. 

He was successful in having Berry re-form his 





74 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

division and charge the Confederates with fixed 
bayonets, which partly stopped the Confederates' 
advance. This gave the Federal artillery a few 
minutes to prepare itself for action. They finally 
succeeded in stopping the Confederate advance. 

The mighty turmoil was silenced as darkness 
gathered. The two hostile forces were concealed 
in the darkness watching each other. Finally, 
at midnight, the order, *' Forward!" was given 
in subdued tones to Sickle 's corps. They stealth- 
ily advanced upon the Confederate position and 
at heavy loss gained the position sought for. 

Between Hooker's and Sedgwick's divisions of 
the army stood the Confederate army flushed 
with the victory of the day, immediately in front 
of Sedgwick was Fredericksburg, beyond which 
loomed Marye's Heights, strongly guarded by 
Washington's artillery of the Confederates. 
These Heights were the battleground of a few 
months before when Burnside tried in vain to 
drive the Confederates from their crest. 

Shortly after midnight Sedgwick began his 
march against Marye 's Heights that was fraught 
with peril and death. At the foot of the slope 
were the stone wall and the sunken road, which 
was the battleground of a few months before in 
the battle of Fredericksburg. The crest and 
slopes bristled with Confederate cannon and 
musket. Sedgwick made his attack directly 
upon the stone wall in the face of a terrible storm 
of artillery and musketry. The first assault 
failed, but the second met with more success, as 



CHANCELLORSVILLE 75 

they succeeded in driving the Confederates from 
their strong position at the point of the bayonet 
by their overwhelming numbers. Sedgwick 
pushed on to attack Lee in the rear, but Lee was 
aware of his advance and dispatched General 
Early with a strong force to hold him in check 
and thus prevent his juncture with Hooker's 
army at Chancellorsville. Lee's army and that 
of Hooker's had been engaged since early 
morning in deadly combat. 

While this engagement was at its height Gen- 
eral Hooker, while leaning against a pillar on 
the porch of the Chancellor House, was stunned 
and felled to the ground and for some time it 
was thought that he was killed. This was done 
by a cannon ball, which shattered the pillar 
against which he was leaning. This injury inca- 
pacitated Hooker from active service the balance 
of the day and he gave orders for his army to 
retire, which was reluctantly done by his subor- 
dinate officers. When his columns began to retire 
from the field the Confederates increased their 
artillery fire, which played upon the retreating 
columns in blue. This fire marked the doom 
of the old Chancellor House, where Hooker had 
headquarters. The brick walls were pierced 
through by cannon balls and shells exploded in 
the upper rooms, setting the building on fire. 
Fragments of the demolished chimneys rained 
down upon the wounded in the lower rooms. 

During the entire day's battle there were 
nineteen women and children, including some 





76 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

slaves, in the cellar where they had taken refuge. 
They were all removed before the complete de- 
struction of the house by fire. 

The long, deep trenches, full of Federal and 
Confederate dead, told the awful story of Chan- 
cellorsville. This scene will never be forgotten 
by the survivors of the battle. This was one of 
the greatest battles yet fought on the American 
Continent, and has gone down in history as being 
one of the greatest of modern times. 

The Union loss was about 17,000, while that 
of the Confederates was about 13,000. 

Late in the evening of the first d^y's battle 
General "Stonewall" Jackson was mortally 
wounded, in which the South suffered incal- 
culable loss. After his brilliant flank march 
and the evening attack on Hooker's army had 
been driven home, at half-past eight, Jackson 
had ridden beyond his lines to reconnoiter for 
the final advance. By the sudden fire of mus- 
ketry in his front, he discovered that he was 
within the enemy's lines. His party, suddenly 
turning back and riding at full speed, was mis- 
took by his own men for the enemy, and his men, 
firing a volley of musketry, killed and wounded 
several of Jackson 's party and mortally wounded 
Jackson by two shots in the left arm and one 
in his right hand. He was taken from his horse 
by the officers who were with him, among whom 
was A. P. Hill. It was found that there was 
no immediate conveyance for him to be carried 
within his lines. Presently the enemy discov- 



CHANCELLORSVILLE 77 

ered the commotion and mistaking it as an ad- 
vance of the Confederate lines, began to shell 
the immediate vicinity with grape and canister, 
which necessitated the party with Jackson to lie 
down to escape the shower of lead which poured 
over them. The scene about them was an awful 
one. The air was pierced by the shrieks of 
shells and the cries of the wounded. Finally a 
stretcher was secured and Jackson was carried 
to the rear. One of the bearers was shot down 
and his place was taken by another. During 
the turmoil General W. D. Pender was met, who 
expressed the fear that his lines must fall back. 
General Jackson, in a clear voice, "You must 
hold your ground. General Pender; you must 
hold your ground to the last, sir." This was 
his last order to a subordinate officer. 

It was first thought that Jackson's wounds 
would not prove fatal, but he developed pneu- 
monia and gradually grew worse, and on the 
morning of May 10th it was apparent that he 
had only a few hours to live; at times he 
was unconscious and his mind apparently wan- 
dered on previous battlefields. During one of 
his unconscious moments he suddenly cried out, 
* ' Order A. P. Hill to prepare for action. Pass 
the infantry to the front ! ' ' 

He then became silent and weak, and his last 
words were: ''Let us cross over the river and 
rest in the shade of the trees. ^ ' 

When Lee heard that Jackson had fallen he 
said: ''Any victory would be dear at such a 




78 



BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 




price.** It is thought by many that the result 
at Gettysburg would have been different had 
''The Great Flanker'* lived to have been there. 
Henderson, the British war historian, said the 
fame of "Stonewall" Jackson is no longer the 
exclusive property of Virginia and the South; 
it has become the birthright of every man privi- 
leged to call himself an American. 



THE SIEGE OF VICKSBURG 

Vicksburg, often called ''The Gibraltar of the 
West," is situated on the east bank of the Mis- 
sissippi River, where the river makes a great 
bend and the east bank of the same makes up 
from the river in a bluff about 200 feet. 

Here at Vicksburg about 100,000 men and a 
powerful fleet of many gunboats and ironclads 
for forty days and nights fought to decide 
whether the Confederate states should be cut in 
twain ; whether the great river should flow free 
to the gulf. 

The Confederate cannon, situated on the high 
bluff along the river front at Vicksburg, com- 
manded the waterway for miles in either direc- 
tion, while the obstacles in the way of a land 
approach were almost equally insurmountable. 
The object of the Federal army was to gain 
control of the entire course of the river that it 
might, in the language of President Lincoln, 
''Roll unvexed to the sea," and to separate the 
Confederate states so as to hinder them from 
getting supplies and men for their armies from 
the southwest. 

The great problem of the Federals was how 
to get control of Vicksburg. This great ques- 
tion was left to General Grant to work out. 

In June, 1862, the Confederates, under Gen- 
eral Van Dorn, numbering 15,000 men, occupied 
and fortified Vicksburg. Van Dorn was a man 
79 





80 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

of great energy. In a short time he had hun- 
dreds of men at work planting batteries, dig- 
ging rifle-pits, mounting heavy guns and build- 
ing bomb-proof magazines. All through the 
summer the work progressed and by the coming 
of winter the city was a veritable Gibraltar. 

In the last days of June the combined fleet, 
under Farragut and Porter, arrived below the 
Confederate stronghold. They had on board 
about 3,000 troops and a large supply of imple- 
ments required in digging trenches. The engi- 
neers conceived the idea of cutting a new chan- 
nel for the Mississippi through a neck of land 
on the Louisiana side opposite Vicksburg and 
thereby change the course of the river and leave 
Vicksburg high and dry. 

While General "Williams was engaged in the 
task of diverting the mighty river across the 
peninsula Farragut stormed the Confederate 
batteries with his fleet, but failed to silence 
Vicksburg ^s cannon guards. He then deter- 
mined to dash past the fortifications with his 
fleet, trusting to the speed of his vessels and the 
stoutness of their armor to survive the tremen- 
dous cannonade that would fall upon them. 

Early on the morning of June 28th his ves- 
sels moved forward and after several hours of 
terrific bombardment with the loss of three ves- 
sels, passed through the raging inferno to the 
waters above Vicksburg. 

Williams and his men, including 1,000 negroes, 
labored hard to complete the canal, but a sud- 



SIEG^ OF VIOESBURG 81 

den rise in the river swept away the barriers 
with a terrific roar and many days of labor went 
for naught. This plan was at length abandoned 
and they all returned with the fleet during the 
last days of July to Baton Rouge, and Vicksburg 
was no more molested until the next spring. 

In October General John C. Pemberton, a 
Philadelphian by birth, succeeded Van Dom in 
command of the Confederate forces at Vicks- 
burg. General Grant planned to divide the 
army of the Tennessee, Sherman taking part of 
it from Memphis down the Mississippi on trans- 
ports while he would move overland with the 
rest of the army and cooperate with Sherman 
before Vicksburg. But the whole plan proved a 
failure, through the energies of Van Dorn and 
others of the Confederate army in destroying 
the Federal lines of communication. 

Sherman, however, with an army of about 
32,000 men, left Memphis on December 20th, and 
landed a few days later some miles above Vicks- 
burg, and on the 29th made a daring attack on 
the Confederate lines at Chickasaw Bayou, and 
suffered a decisive repulse with a loss of 2,000 
men. 

Sherman now found the northern pathway to 
Vicksburg impassable and withdrew his men to 
the river, and, to make up triple disaster to the 
Federals, General Nathan Forest, one of the 
brilliant Confederate cavalry leaders, with 2,500 
horsemen, dashed through the country west of 
Grant's army, tore up many miles of railroad 

6 





82 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

and destroyed all telegraph lines and thus cut 
off all communication of the Federals. 

In the meantime General Van Dorn pounced 
upon Holly Springs, capturing the guard of 
1,500 men and burning Grant's great store of 
supplies, estimated to be worth a million and a 
half dollars, thus leaving Grant without sup- 
plies, and for many days without communication 
with the outside world.! It was not until about 
the middle of January that he heard, through 
Washington, of the defeat of Sherman at 
Chickasaw Bayou. 

Grant changed his plan of attack and decided 
to move his army below Vicksburg and approach 
the city from the south. Another plan was to 
cut a channel through the peninsula opposite 
Vicksburg and again try the project of chang- 
ing the bed of the Mississippi so as to leave 
Vicksburg some miles inland. For six weeks 
thousands of men worked on this ditch ; early in 
March the river began to rise and on the morn- 
ing of the 8th it broke through the embankments 
and the men had to run for their lives. Many 
horses were drowned and great numbers of im- 
plements submerged. The *' Father of waters" 
had put a decisive veto on the project, and the 
same was abandoned. 

On the night of April 16th Porter ran past 
the batteries of Vicksburg with his fleet after 
days of preparation. They left their station 
near the mouth of the Yazoo about nine o'clock. 
Suddenly the flash of musketry fire pierced the 



SIEQE OF VICKSBURG 83 

darkness. A storm of shot and shell was rained 
upon the passing vessels. The water of the river 
was lashed into foam by the shot and shell from 
the batteries. The gunboats answered with their 
cannon. The air was filled with flying missiles. 
The transport, Henry Clay, caught fire and 
burned to the water's edge. By three in the 
morning the fleet was below the city and ready 
to cooperate with Grant's army. 

Grant's army at that time numbered about 
43,000 men, and he decided to make a campaign 
into the interior of Mississippi while waiting for 
General Banks from Baton Rouge to join him. 
The Confederate army under Pemberton num- 
bered about 40,000, and about 15,000 more Con- 
federates were at Jackson, Miss., under com- 
mand of General Joseph E. Johnston. It was 
against Johnston's army that Grant decided to 
move. Johnston, on being attacked by Grant, 
fell back from Jackson and took a position on 
Champion 's Hill, where a hard battle was fought 
in which the Confederates were greatly outnum- 
bered and gave way in confusion. Part of Pem- 
berton 's army had arrived and was engaged in 
this battle. Pemberton retreated towards Vicks- 
burg, closely followed by Grant, and several 
short engagements between the two armies took 
place on the road to Vicksburg. The Federal 
army now invested the city, occupying the sur- 
rounding hills. Around the doomed city 
gleamed the thousands of bayonets of the Union 
army. The city was filled with soldiers and the 





84 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

citizens of the country who had fled there for 
refuge and were now penned in. 

On May 22d Grant ordered a grand assault 
by his whole army. The troops, flushed with 
their victories of the last few days, were eager 
for the attack. It is said that his columns were 
made up with his taller soldiers in front and 
the second in stature in the next line, and so 
on down, so as to save exposure to the fire of the 
enemy. 

At the appointed time the order was passed 
down the line to move forward, and the columns 
leaped from their hiding places and started on 
their disastrous march in the face of a mur- 
derous fire from the defenders of the city, only 
to be mowed down by the sweeping fire from 
the Confederate batteries. Others came, crawling 
over the bodies of their fallen comrades, but at 
every charge they were met by the missiles of 
death. Thus it continued hour after hour until 
the coming of darkness. The assault had failed 
and the Union forces retired within their en- 
trenchments before the city. This is consid- 
ered as one of the most brave and disastrous 
assaults of the war. 

The army now settled down to the wearisome 
siege, and for six weeks they encircled the city 
with trenches, approaching nearer and nearer 
to the defending walls. One by one the de- 
fending batteries were silenced. On the after- 
noon of June 25th a redoubt of the Confederate 
works was blown up with a mine. When the 



mEGE OF VICESBUBG 85 

same exploded the Federals began to dash into 
the opening, only to meet with a withering fire 
from an interior parapet which the Confederates 
had constructed in the anticipation of this event. 

Grant was constantly receiving reenforce- 
ments, and before the end of the siege his army 
numbered 70,000. 

Day and night the roar of artillery continued 
without ceasing. Shrieking shells from Porter's 
fleet rose in grand curves, either bursting in 
midair or on the streets of the city, spreading 
havoc in all directions. 

The people of the city burrowed into the 
ground for safety, their walls of clay being 
shaken by the roaring battles that raged above 
the ground. The supply of food became scarcer 
day by day, and by the end of June the entire 
city was in a complete famine. They had been 
living for several days upon corn meal, beans 
and mule meat, and were now facing their last 
enemy, death by starvation. 

At ten o'clock on the morning of July 3d the 
firing ceased and a strange quietness rested over 
all. Pemberton had opened negotiations with 
Grant for the capitulation of the city. It is 
strange to say that on this very day the fijial 
chapter at Gettysburg was being written. 

On the following morning Pemberton marched 
his 30,000 men out of the city and surrendered 
them as prisoners of war. They were released 
on parole. 

This was the largest army ever surrendered 
at one time. 





BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG 

Our colonial fathers from North and South 
fought together when they brought this republic 
into being, defended it together in the war of 
1812, and triumphed together when they car- 
ried the Stars and Stripes into the heritage of 
the Montezumas. The final and crucial test of 
the republic's strength and durability was the 
combat on the field of battle in the war between 
the states. The battle of Gettysburg is conceded 
to be the turning point in that war. Abraham 
Lincoln said in his Gettysburg address, in No- 
vember, 1863: ''This nation, conceived in 
liberty and dedicated to the proposition that 
all men are created equal, is now engaged in a 
great civil war, testing whether this nation, or 
any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can 
long endure.'' 

The great question of that day was the ques- 
tion of state rights and relationship between 
state and federal government. 

It had now come to the point where it could 
not be determined in the councils of peace, al- 
though the illustrious Henry Clay and other 
statesmen of his day had been the means of suc- 
cessfully deferring from time to time this crisis 
for almost a half century. 

Gettysburg is a small, quiet town among the 

86 



GETTYSBURG 87 

hills of Adams county, in southeastern Pennsyl- 
vania, and in 1863 contained about 1,500 in- 
habitants. It had been founded by James 
Gettys in about 1780. He probably never 
dreamed that his name, thus given to the village, 
would become famous in history for all time. 

The hills around Gettysburg are little more 
than general swells of ground, and many of 
them were covered with timber when the legions 
of the North and South fought out the destinies 
of the republic on those memorable July days in 
1863. 

Lee's army was flushed with the victories of 
Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and public 
opinion was demanding an invasion of the North. 

Lee crossed the Potomac early in June, after 
leaving General Stuart with his cavalry and a 
part of Hill 's corps to prevent Hooker from pur- 
suing. He began to concentrate his army around 
Hagerstown, Md., and prepare for a campaign 
in Pennsylvania. His army was organized into 
three corps under the respective commands of 
Longstreet, Ewell and A. P. Hill. Lee had 
driven his army so as to enter Pennsylvania by 
different routes, and to assess the towns along 
the way with large sums of money. In the latter 
part of June Lee was startled by the informa- 
tion that Stuart had failed to detain Hooker, 
and that the Federals were in hot pursuit. He 
soon conceived that the two armies must soon 
come together in a mighty death struggle, which 
meant that a great battle must be fought, a 





88 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

greater battle than this western world has here- 
tofore known, which is claimed by historians as 
being one of the decisive battles of the world. 

The Army of the Potomac had changed lead- 
ers, and George Gordon Meade was now its com- 
mander, having succeeded Hooker on June 28th. 
Thus for the third time the Army of the Potomac 
in ten months had a new commander. 

The two great armies were scattered over por- 
tions of Maryland and southern Pennsylvania. 
Both were marching northward along parallel 
lines, the Federals endeavoring to stay between 
Lee's army and Washington. It was plain that 
they must soon come together in a gigantic con- 
flict; but just where the shock of battle was to 
take place was yet unknown. 

Meade sent General Buford in advance with 
4,000 cavalry to intercept the Confederate 
advance guard. 

On the night of June 30th Buford encamped 
on a hill a mile west from Gettysburg, and here 
on the following morning the great battle had its 
beginning. 

On the morning of July 1st the two armies 
were still well scattered, the extremes forty 
miles apart. General Keynolds, with two corps 
of the Union army was but a few miles away 
and was hastening to Gettysburg, while Long- 
street and Hill were approaching from the west, 
with Hill's corps several miles in advance. 

Buford opened battle against the advance divi- 



GETTYSBURG 89 

sion of Hiirs corps under General Heth. Eey- 
nolds soon joined and the first day's battle was 
now in full progress. General Eeynolds, while 
placing his troops in line of battle early in the 
day, received a death shot in the head by a Con- 
federate sharpshooter. This was a great loss to 
the Federals, as he was one of the bravest and 
most able generals in the Union army. No 
casualty of the war brought more widespread 
mourning to the North than the death of Gen- 
eral John F. Reynolds. But even this calamity 
did not stay the fury of the battle. 

Early in the afternoon the Federals were 
heavily reenforced, and A. P. Hill had arrived 
on the field with the balance of his corps, and 
the roar of battle was unceasing. About the 
middle of the afternoon a breeze lifted the 
smoke from the field and revealed that the 
Federals were falling back towards Gettysburg. 
They were hard pressed by the Confederates 
and were pushed back through the town with 
the loss of many prisoners. The Federals took 
a position on Cemetery Hill and the first day's 
battle was over. 

If the Confederates had known the disorgan- 
ized condition of the Federal troops, they might 
have pursued and captured a large part of the 
army. 

It is thought by many that if ''Stonewall" 
Jackson had lived to be there that at this par- 
ticular time is where he would have delivered 
his crushing blow to the Federals and no doubt 





90 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

would have changed the final result of the battle. 
Meade was still some miles from the field, but 
on hearing of the death of Reynolds sent Gen- 
eral Hancock to take command until he himself 
should arrive. 

The Union loss on the first day was severe. A 
great commander had fallen and they had suf- 
fered the fearful loss of 10,000 men. 

Hancock arrived late in the afternoon, after 
riding at full speed. His presence brought an 
air of confidence, and his promise of heavy 
reenforcements all tended to inspire renewed 
hope in the ranks of the discouraged army. 

Meade reached the scene late at night and 
chose to make this field the place of a general 
engagement. Lee had come to the same decision, 
and both called on their outlying legions to 
make all possible speed to Gettysburg. The 
night was spent in the marshaling of troops, get- 
ting position, planting artillery, and bands play- 
ing at intervals on the arrival of new divisions 
on the field. 

General Gordon says that during the night the 
sound of axes and the falling of trees in the 
Federal entrenchments could plainly be heard, 
and that he became convinced during the night 
that by morning they would be so well fortified 
on Cemetery Hill that their position would be 
almost impregnable, and that he succeeded in 
getting a council of officers during the night to 
take under advisement a night attack on the 
enemy, but was told that General Lee had given 



GETTYSBURG 91 

orders that no further attack should be made 
until Longstreet arrived, and he had not yet 
arrived. 

The dawn of July 2d broke into a beautiful 
summer day. Both armies hesitated to begin 
the battle and remained inactive until in the 
afternoon. 

The fighting on that day was confined chiefly 
to the two extremes, leaving the center inactive. 
Longstreet commanded the Confederate right 
and the Union left was commanded by General 
Daniel E. Sickles, whose division lay directly 
opposite that of Longstreet. The Confederate 
left was commanded by General Richard Ewell, 
who succeeded to the command of this division 
after the death of ' * Stonewall ' ' Jackson at Chan- 
cellorsville. While the Federal right, stationed 
on Gulp's Hill was commanded by General 
Slocum. 

Between these armies was a hollow into which 
the anxious farmers had driven and penned 
large numbers of cattle, which they thought 
would be a place of safety, and could not con- 
ceive that any battle could affect this place of 
refuge, but when the battle began and the stream 
of shells was directed against Round Top this 
place of refuge became a raging inferno of 
bursting shells. 

There was a gate at the entrance of the local 
cemetery at Gettysburg that had written on it 
this sign: ^'All persons found using firearms 
in these grounds will be prosecuted with the 





92 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

utmost rigor of the law. ' ' Many a soldier must 
have smiled at these words, for this gateway be- 
came the very center of the cruelest use of fire- 
arms yet seen on this * ' terrestrial ball. ' ' 

The plan of General Meade was to have Gen- 
eral Sickles connect his division with that of 
Hancock and extend southward near the base of 
the Round Tops. Sickles found this ground, in 
his opinion, low and disadvantageous and ad- 
vanced his division to higher ground in front, 
placing his men along the Emmettsburg road 
and back toward the Trostle farm and the wheat- 
field, thus forming an angle at the peach orchard, 
thus leaving this division alone in its position 
far in advance of the other Federal lines. This 
position taken by Sickles was in disobedience of 
orders from General Meade, and was considered 
by Meade, as well as President Lincoln, as being 
a great mistake, but General Sickles always 
maintained that he did right, and that his posi- 
tion was well taken. 

Longstreet was quick to see this apparent mis- 
take and marched his troops along Sickles' front 
entirely overlapping the left wing of the Union 
army. Lee gave orders to Longstreet to make 
a general attack, and the boom of his cannon 
announced the beginning of the second day's 
battle. The Union forces answered quickly with 
their batteries and the fight extended from the 
peach orchard along the whole line to the base 
of Little Round Top. The musketry opened all 
along the line until there was one continuous 



GETTYSBURG 93 

roar. Longstreet swept forward in a line of 
battle a mile and a half long. He pressed back 
the Union forces and for a time it looked as 
though the Federals would be routed in utter 
confusion. 

At the extreme left, near the Trostle house, 
was stationed John Biglow, in command of a 
Massachusetts battery, with orders to hold his 
position at all hazards. He defended his posi- 
tion well, but was finally routed with great loss 
by overwhelming numbers. This attack was 
made by Longstreet again and again, and was 
one of the bloodiest spots on the field at Gettys- 
burg. 

The most desperate struggle of the day was 
to get possession of Little Eound Top, which was 
the key to the whole battleground west and 
south of Cemetery Ridge. General Longstreet 
sent General Hood with his division to occupy it. 
The Federals, under General Warren, defended 
this position and were charged on by General 
Hood's division with fixed bayonets time after 
time, which finally became a hand-to-hand con- 
flict, but the Confederates were pressed down 
the hillside at the point of the bayonet, and thus 
was ended one of the most severe hand-to-hand 
conflicts yet known. 

Little Round Top was saved to the Union 
army, but the cost was appalling. The hill was 
covered with hundreds of the slain. Many of 
the Confederate sharpshooters had taken posi- 
tion among the crevasses of the rocks in the 





94 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

Devil's Den, where they could overlook the posi- 
tion on Little Round Top, and their unerring 
aim spread death among the Federal officers. 
General Weed was mortally wounded, and, as 
General Hazlett was stooping to receive his last 
message, a sharpshooter's bullet laid him dead 
across the body of his chief. 

During this attack, and for some time there- 
after, the battle continued in the valley below, 
where many thousands were engaged. Long- 
street and Sickles were engaged in a determined 
conflict, and it was apparent to all engaged that 
a decisive battle was being fought, and they 
were making a determined effort. Sickles' line 
was being pressed back to the base of the hill. 
His leg was shattered by a bursting shell, while 
scores of his officers and thousands of his men 
lay on the field to dream of battlefields no more. 
The coming of darkness ended the struggle. 
This valley has been rightly called the ** Valley 
of Death." 

While this battle was going on in this part of 
the field another was being fought at the other 
extreme end of the lines. General Ewell was 
making an attack on Cemetery Hill and Gulp's 
Hill, held by Slocum, who had been weakened 
by the sending of a large portion of his corps 
to the assistance of General Sickles. Ewell had 
three divisions, two of which were commanded 
by Generals Early and Johnston. Early made 
the attack on Cemetery Hill, but was repulsed 
after a bloody and desperate hand-to-hand fight. 



GETTYSBURG 95 

Johnston *s attack on Gulp's Hill was more suc- 
cessful, but was at length repulsed after the 
Federals had been heavily reenforced. 

Thus closed the second day 's battle of Gettys- 
burg. The harvest of death had been great. 
The Federal loss during the two days was about 
20,000 men; the Confederate loss was nearly as 
great. The Confederates had gained an ap- 
parent advantage on Culp 's Hill, but the Union 
lines, except as to this point, were unbroken. 

On the night of July 2d Lee held council of 
war with his generals and decided to make a 
grand assault on Meade's center the following 
day. Against this decision Longstreet protested 
in vain, but Lee was encouraged by the arrival 
of Pickett's division and Stuart's cavalry, which 
had not yet been engaged. Meade had held 
council with his officers, and had come to a like 
decision to defend. 

That night a brilliant July moon shed its 
luster upon the ghastly field, over which thou- 
sands of men lay unable to rise. With many 
their last battle was over, but there were great 
numbers of wounded who were calling for the 
kindly touch of a helping hand. Nor did they 
call wholly in vain. They were carried to the 
improvised hospitals where they were given at- 
tention. The dead were buried in unknown 
graves soon to be forgotten except by their 
loving mothers. 

All through the night the Confederates were 
massing their artillery along Seminary Ridge. 





96 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

The disabled horses were being replaced by 
others. The ammunition was being replenished, 
and all was being made ready for their work of 
destruction on the morrow. 

The Federals were diligently laboring in the 
moonlight arranging their batteries on Cemetery 
Hill. The coming of morning revealed the two 
parallel lines of cannon which signified too well 
the story of what the day would bring forth. 

On the first day of July, 1863, Pickett's divi- 
sion was encamped near Chambersburg, Penn., 
about twenty miles from Gettysburg. 

This division was composed of three brigades, 
commanded by Armistead, Garnett and Kemper. 
They had no intimation that they would be called 
on to take part in the battle that was going on 
at Gettysburg. They had been following up as 
the rear guard of the Army of Northern Virginia. 

The men were quietly sleeping after a most 
fatiguing march, and many no doubt dreaming 
of their homes along the Atlantic and Chesa- 
peake, and others of their beautiful mountains 
and beautiful valleys, and in their dreams, per- 
haps, felt the warm kiss of their loved ones. All 
at once the long roll was sounded, and these 
visions vanished as they awoke and realized that 
grim war was still rampant. The division was 
ordered, about 1 A. m. on the morning of 
July 2d, to pack up and make ready to march, 
and while doing this it was rumored along the 
lines that Hood's division of Texans had been 
repulsed in charging Cemetery Heights at Get- 



GETTYSBURG 97 

tysburg with frightful loss, and that it was the 
intention of General Lee that their division 
should charge the strong position as a forlorn 
hope. 

About 3 A. M., on July 2d, the division 
began to move towards Gettysburg and marched 
as rapidly as circumstances would permit, as the 
roads were blocked with wagons, artillery, and 
the wounded of both armies. At length it ar- 
rived at about two o 'clock in the evening within 
two miles of Gettysburg and immediately went 
into camp. While they were doing so a courier 
rode up and informed the officers that McLaws' 
division of Georgians had just made a charge 
on Cemetery Heights and had been repulsed with 
great slaughter. This division, together with 
Hood's and Pickett's, made up Longstreet's 
corps, and it seemed that each of his divisions 
was to have the honor of making an assault on 
Cemetery Heights. General Pickett now in- 
formed his men that he had orders to hurl his 
division against this position on the next day 
unless the artillery should succeed in dislodging 
the enemy. 

On the following day this division took posi- 
tion in line of battle directly behind the Con- 
federate artillery line on Seminary Ridge, with 
a line of timber between, and had orders to lie 
down. General Lee had massed in front of the 
division about 120 pieces of artillery, and they 
were to open on Cemetery Heights and endeavor 
if possible to dislodge the enemy. This can- 





98 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

nonading began about noon, and was answered 
by the enemy with a hundred pieces. A more ter- 
rific fire has never been witnessed by man than 
occurred there on that July afternoon. The 
earth was shaken by its roar, such as probably 
the younger Pliny mentioned in his description 
of the eruption of Vesuvius when Pompeii and 
Herculaneum were destroyed. The sky was 
black with smoke, and livid with the flame belch- 
ing from the mouth of the cannon. 

During all this cannonading Pickett's division 
was lying awaiting it to cease. Eound shot 
whistled through the trees, shells burst over their 
heads, dealing destruction within their ranks. 
The shot and shell from their enemy's guns 
that passed over the artillery invariably fell in 
the ranks of Pickett's division, which seemed 
doomed to destruction without even the oppor- 
tunity of firing a gun. While this cannonading 
was going on, General Armistead and the other 
brigade commanders passed along in front of 
their respective commands informing their men 
that unless the artillery succeeded in dislodging 
the enemy from Cemetery Heights, they were to 
charge this position. Although this had been 
tried by the respective divisions of McLaw and 
Hood, and in each instance had been repulsed 
with great slaughter, yet they seemed determined 
to win for Virginia and the Confederate states 
a name which would be handed down to posterity 
in honor, and which would be spoken of in pride 
by not only Virginia but by all America. In 



GETTYSBURG 99 

this particular they succeeded, for not only have 
their foes accorded them a crown of laurels, but 
England spoke words of praise for these men, 
whose Anglo-Saxon blood nerved them to such 
a deed. 

All at once the terrible cannonading ceased, 
and the stillness of death prevailed. General 
Pickett rode along the line informing his men 
that the artillery had not succeeded in driving 
the enemy from their strong position. Word 
was passed down the line from the right that they 
were to charge. All were on their feet in a 
moment and ready ; not a sound was heard ; not 
a shot was fired from any part of the field. The 
command, '' Forward!" was given, and in five 
minutes they had passed through the strip of 
woods that lay between them and the artillery, 
and as they emerged from the cover and passed 
through the artillery line the artillerymen 
raised their hats and cheered them on their way. 
They also passed through Lane 's brigade of Wil- 
cox 's division, whose men were waiting for or- 
ders to support the charge. General Garnett 
was leading the center, General Kemper on the 
right, and General Armistead was leading the 
left of the division with a swarm of skirmishers 
in front. The smoke had cleared away and re- 
vealed the long line of the Federal position on 
Cemetery Heights, which was about a mile dis- 
tant. 

When the Federals observed the advance of 
Pickett's division, which they had anticipated, 





100 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

they opened fire, which at first ranged over the 
advancing columns, but before they had marched 
half the distance they began to get range on 
them. The Confederate lines advanced steadily 
and in full confidence. A band on the extreme 
right continued to play ''Dixie," ''The Girl I 
Left Behind Me," and other familiar airs of 
the day. The division was marching directly 
towards Hancock's position, this objective point 
having been given Pickett by General Lee, but 
after passing through Wilcox's division in wait- 
ing Pickett caused each of his three brigades to 
make a half-wheel to the left. This, being well 
executed, was attended with some loss of time. 

The Federal artillery soon began its death 
work of destruction. Pickett's division had 
been quite near this grim monster before, but on 
this occasion he seemed to be pressing on them 
steadily and closely, which was enough to make 
the bravest quail under his ghastly appearance. 
The Federals seem to have exhausted their ammu- 
nition in some places in the artillery lines. This 
being discovered by Pickett, gave him courage, 
and he caused his division to move up quickly. 
Crossing several fields inclosed by strong fences, 
he at length reached the base of the elevation. 
He once more changed his direction by a half- 
wheel to the right, halting to rectify his lines. 
His division pushed on, but great gaps were be- 
ing cut in his lines by the grape and canister 
from the Federal artillery, causing such wide 
openings that the division had to be halted and 



GETTYSBURG 101 

dressed first to the right and then to the left, 
obliquing and filling up the lines. They were 
now in close range of the Federal lines and were 
being fired upon from behind a stone wall, and 
their ranks were fast melting away. 

"Death was upon every breeze, 
And lurked in every flower." 

The division pressed on. Round shot, shell, 
canister and rifle balls were poured into them at 
close range from the front, and a battery on 
Round Top raked the line from the right. 

Pickett was expecting to be supported by Pet- 
tigrew's brigade on the left, and Lane's brigade 
on the right. Those brigades, however, were 
coming up, but were being met by such strong 
opposition that they were entirely outdistanced 
and fell back finally with Pickett's retreat, 
thus leaving Pickett with his three brigades 
alone in front. The Confederate ranks were 
thinning as far as eye could see. Grarnett was 
killed leading his brigade, his being in the lead. 
Kemper, coming up next to the distance of sixty 
yards behind, brought his brigade to a halt to 
give Armistead time to come up for the last and 
final charge. 

They were fired upon by the enemy, posted 
along the edge of the woods. This murderous 
fire almost disorganized them. Armistead, urg- 
ing his men forward with his hat on his sword, 
holding it up as a guide, crossed over the Union 
breastworks, and for a time the Confederates 





102 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

seemed to gain some advantage, but were pres- 
ently surrounded by overwhelming numbers. 
General Armistead was mortally wounded, and 
nearly all the other officers of the division were 
either killed or wounded. 

Pickett, seeing the hopelessness of the charge, 
ordered a retreat of his shattered lines. 

Out of 4,800 men that followed Pickett, 
scarcely 1,200 to 1,300 got back into the Con- 
federate lines. Out of eighteen field officers and 
four generals, Pickett and one lieutenant colonel 
alone remained unharmed. 

Pickett's division, together with the support- 
ing brigades under Lane and Pettigrew, num- 
bered about 14,000 men. Where G-eneral Armi- 
stead fell is considered to be the highest point, 
figuratively speaking, that was reached by the 
Southern Confederacy. 

Pickett's charge will be remembered by all 
future Americans as the English remember that 
of the Light Brigade, and the French that of the 
old guard under Marshal Ney at Waterloo. 

The battle of Gettysburg was now over. The 
loss was about 50,000 men, which was about 
equally divided between the two armies. 

General Lee decided to lead his army back to 
Virginia. The Confederates were much dis- 
couraged, for on this same day Vicksburg had 
been surrendered to General Grant. 

All through the night of July 3d Lee's army 
was making ready to march and at the break of 
day A. P. Hill swung his corps into line of 



GETTYSBURG 



103 



march through a downpour of rain. The next 
to follow was Longstreet's corps, which followed 
close upon A. P. Hill, and the last to leave was 
Eweirs corps, and the retreat was covered by 
Stuart's cavalry. 

General Hood had with him 4,000 prisoners. 
The wounded were carried with the retreat in 
wagons and other ways of conveyance, and were 
under the charge of General Imboden. 





BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA 

This battle derives its name from Chickamauga 
Creek, which is but a few miles from Chatta- 
nooga, Tenn., and is considered one of the 
greatest battles of modern times. It was ex- 
ceeded in our Civil war only by Gettysburg and 
the Wilderness; compares with Waterloo, and 
twice bloodier than Wagram or Austerlitz. 
General D. H. Hill said that he had never seen 
the Federal dead lie so thickly on the ground 
save in front of the sunken wall at Fredericks- 
burg. The late General John B. Gordon, whose 
pen was never weary of writing the praises of 
the Confederate soldiers, said that in his opinion 
the battle of Chickamauga was even greater 
than that of Gettysburg, but it is thought that 
he was somewhat partial to Chickamauga, hav- 
ing been reared there, and when a boy fished in 
Chickamauga Creek, and had ridden behind his 
father over the country which was later made 
a great battlefield. 

General Braxton Braggs was in command of 
the Confederate army, known as the Army of 
the Tennessee, which was concentrated around 
Chattanooga. 

General Rosecrans was in command of the 
Federal army, known as the Army of the Cum- 
berland. It was made up of three corps under 
104 



CHICK AM AUG A 105 

Generals Crittenden, Thomas and McCook. 
They began to advance on Chattanooga and en- 
danger Bragg 's line of communication. 

On September 8th Bragg abandoned Chatta- 
nooga and fell back toward Rome, Ga. The 
Federals took possession of the city of Chatta- 
nooga. Rosecrans, believing that Bragg was in 
full retreat, ordered Crittenden to pursue. 
Meanwhile Bragg was concentrating his forces 
near Lafayette, about twenty-five miles from 
Chattanooga. He was joined by Generals S. B. 
Buckner and Breckinridge. General Longstreet 
was hastening from Virginia with about 12,000 
men from Lee's army to join him, the men being 
fresh from the field of Gettysburg. 

Rosecrans' army was somewhat divided, as he 
was not expecting a general battle. Bragg was 
quick to grasp this opportunity of making a gen- 
eral assault on the Union forces while they were 
divided. The attack was made on the 13th of 
September by General Polk, but from some mis- 
apprehension of orders he did not move in time, 
and thus gave Rosecrans time to unite his forces, 
thus losing Bragg this opportunity of breaking 
up the Army of the Cumberland. 

The Federal forces under Crittenden now took 
position at Gordon's Mills, on the left bank of 
Chickamauga Creek, and the remainder of their 
troops were within supporting distance, and 
were under the command of Thomas and Mc- 
Cook, the total Union strength being estimated 
at about 60,000 men. 





106 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

The Confederate army lay on the east side of 
the stream, and was under the immediate com- 
mand of Generals Polk, D. H. Hiii and Buckner. 

On the 18th Longstreet arrived with his troops. 
Thus the two mighty armies were now face to 
face. 

Bragg endeavored to flank the Federal left 
and thus intervene between it and Chattanooga, 
and on the morning of September 19th the Con- 
federates, under General Polk, made a grand 
assault upon the Federal left, under General 
Thomas. Meanwhile the Federal right was be- 
ing heavily pressed by General Hood, command- 
ing Longstreet 's corps. This was kept up the 
entire day and when darkness came the Federals 
had been forced back from the creek, but the 
result was indecisive. 

During the night preparations were made for 
the renewal of the battle on the next morning, 
which was Sunday, September 20th. 

It is strange to say that some of the greatest 
battles of the war were fought on Sunday. 

General Longstreet now took command of his 
troops which had arrived, but part of his corps 
did not arrive in time for the battle, having been 
delayed on trains that were behind time. This 
brought their strength up to equal that of the 
Federals. 

General Thomas had taken position on Snod- 
grass Hill, and was anticipating a Confederate 
attack, which was made late in the morning by 
General Polk, who was supported by Generals 



CHICKAMAUGA 107 

Breckinridge and Patrick Cleburne, the last- 
named being an Irishman formerly from the 
County of Cork. 

This assault was made time after time with 
desperate loss to both sides. At length, by some 
misunderstanding of orders, one of the Federal 
divisions under General Wood withdrew from 
its position. By this movement a large opening 
was made in the center of their battle line. 

This was quickly taken advantage of by three 
divisions of the Confederates, which rushed in 
with an impetus that was irresistible. 

General Hood, one of the Confederate division 
commanders, was severely wounded in this move- 
ment with a minie ball, and was carried from the 
field. 

The Federals under Wood, Sheridan and Van 
CI eve were driven from the field. General Long- 
street now assumed chief command, and here 
gave a fine exhibition of his military genius. He 
succeeded in separating the two wings of the 
opposing army. The right wing already being 
in full retreat, he wheeled and compelled the 
further withdrawal of Federal troops in order to 
save being surrounded. The retreating Federals 
fled in confusion toward Chattanooga, after suf- 
fering the loss of several thousand prisoners and 
forty pieces of artillery. 

The Confederates now concentrated their at- 
tack upon Thomas, who had taken position on 
a ridge. They were led by the indomitable Long- 
street, but were repulsed and hurled back with 





108 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

fearful slaughter. The Confederates were en- 
deavoring to flank Thomas' division by sending 
Hinzman to the left and Kershaw with his divi- 
sions to get in the rear. The fighting grew 
fiercer and at intervals was hand-to-hand, and 
continued the entire afternoon. 

This attack on Thomas is considered one of the 
heaviest made on a single point during the war. 
General Thomas, in his stand at Chickamauga, 
won for himself the name ' ' The Rock of Chicka- 
mauga." He was one of the bravest and most 
able generals in the Union army, being a Vir- 
ginian by birth. 

Under the cover of darkness Thomas withdrew 
his army in good order to Rossville, and the fol- 
lowing day joined Rosecrans in Chattanooga. 

This battle is generally considered a Confed- 
erate victory, but left the Federal army in pos- 
session of Chattanooga. The personal daring 
and courage displayed in the ranks of both 
armies has never been excelled on any battlefield. 

The total loss exceeded 30,000 men, which was 
probably divided about equal. 



THE BATTLE OF LOOKOUT 
MOUNTAIN AND MIS- 
SIONARY RIDGE 

After the battle of Chickamauga, Roseerans' 
army was cooped up in Chattanooga, and his 
sources of supplies were entirely cut off by Bragg, 
except from the north of Chattanooga, by which 
he received his supplies over mountainous wagon 
roads, and, on account of heavy rains which fell 
during October, the roads became almost im- 
passable. These trains were attacked by Confed- 
erate cavalry under General Forest, and in one 
day 300 wagons were destroyed and about 1,800 
mules were either killed or captured. One 
soldier said * ' the mud was so deep that we could 
not travel by the road, but we got along pretty 
well by stepping from mule to mule as they lay 
dead by the way.'' Starvation threatened the 
camp, and the army must be relieved. 

Vigorous measures were now taken. General 
Grant was now made commander of the western 
armies. He had about 80,000 men in addition 
to Burnside's force at Knoxville. The Confed- 
erates had about 60,000. General Sherman was 
directed to reenforce Grant at Chattanooga from 
Vicksburg and transported his forces by boat to 
Memphis, and from there marched overland. 
109 





110 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

The authorities at "Washington also determined 
to reenforce Rosecrans from the Army of the 
Potomac, and 23,000 men, under General Hooker, 
were transported by rail to Chattanooga. This 
brought the Army of the Cumberland to num- 
bers far exceeding those of the Confederates. 
The immediate command of all the Federal 
forces was given to General Thomas until such 
time as General Grant should arrive. Grant 
telegraphed to Thomas to hold Chattanooga at 
all hazards. Thomas replied, **I will do so till 
we starve.'' 

The first and great question of the Federals 
was to relieve their line of supplies. General 
Hooker was sent with a portion of his troops 
against a strong position taken by some Con- 
federates in Lookout Valley, and, after a short 
but decisive battle succeeded in driving the Con- 
federates back, which left him in possession of 
the immediate country, and thus opened up a 
route to Brown's Ferry, over which a route for 
abundant supplies was at once available. This 
relieved the Army of the Cumberland of its 
perilous position. 

Thomas was being reenforced from all sides; 
Hooker was already on the ground ; Sherman was 
advancing rapidly from Memphis, while Burn- 
side's forces at Knoxville offered protection for 
the left flank of the Federal army. 

General Bragg had his forces in a line extend- 
ing a distance of twelve miles across to Mis- 
sionary Ridge, and was strengthened by entrench- 



LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN 111 

ments throughout the lowlands. He determined 
to attack Burnside at Knoxville, and dispatched 
Longstreet over his protest with 20,000 men to 
do this, thus weakening his extended lines. This 
has been considered a very great mistake of 
Bragg, as his total force was much less than had 
opposed Rosecrans at Chickamauga. Grant had 
now arrived and had assumed command of the 
entire Federal forces, and had planned to attack 
Bragg on November 24th, but on receiving infor- 
mation, which proved to be unreliable, that Bragg 
was preparing to retreat, he decided to make the 
attack on the 23d, and ordered Thomas to ad- 
vance upon Bragg 's center. This attack took the 
Confederates by surprise. After some severe 
fighting, they fell back more than a mile and 
left the Federals in command of some advan- 
tageous positions, thus ending the first day's 
battle. 

Preparations were made during the night for 
a general engagement the next day. 

Sherman was in command of the left wing, 
while Thomas held the center, and Hooker the 
right, and they had planned to sever communi- 
cations between Bragg and Longstreet, and thus 
keep the Confederate army divided. 

Early on the 24th Sherman moved against the 
Confederate right, and with little opposition oc- 
cupied the northern end of Missionary Ridge. 
The Confederates, after discovering this advan- 
tageous position taken by Sherman, fought des- 
perately in the afternoon to regain it, but were 
finally repulsed. 





112 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

"While this was going on, General Hooker, with 
a division of Sherman's army, was making a 
desperate struggle for the capture of Lookout 
Mountain, whose rugged crests towered above the 
clouds. This mountain was ably defended by 
the Confederates, but they were finally pushed 
back by overwhelming numbers and made their 
final stand within the breastworks about the 
Craven house, but were finally dislodged from 
this place and retired within their entrenchments 
in the valley. 

This has been termed "The Battle in the 
Clouds.'' 

On the morning of the 25th preparations were 
made for the final battle on Missionary Ridge. 
The attack was made by General Sherman, and 
it seemed that the Confederates must recede from 
the terrific onslaught, but they succeeded, after 
a stubborn struggle, in repulsing the Federals at 
this particular time, and they were pushed back 
by General Hardy, who captured several hun- 
dred prisoners. The Federals, quickly re-form- 
ing their lines, renewed the assault and, after 
waiting for Hooker to bring up his division. 
Grant ordered a general advance, and the battle 
was now on in earnest. Bragg opened on them 
from the crest of Missionary Ridge with fifty 
pieces of artillery and a line of musketry. Even 
this did not stop the impetuous charge. The first 
line of entrenchments of the Confederates was 
carried with little opposition, and, as the Con- 
federates retired through other brigades, the con- 




.;fij""'^. 




LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN 



113 



fusion was great, and the retreat became almost 
a rout. 

Had it not been for a division of North Caro- 
linan soldiers under Major Weaver, who suc- 
ceeded in rallying his troops, and was successful 
in holding the Federals in check, the retreat 
would have become a rout of the entire Con- 
federate army. 

This gave the Confederates a little time to 
rally their lines, and they were able to retire from 
the field in good order. 

The battle was now over, and the field was left 
in possession of the Federals, Bragg retiring with 
his army into Georgia. 




BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS 




This was one of the great battles of modern 
times, being second only to Gettysburg in our 
Civil war. Napoleon never fought a battle on 
the Continent of Europe that was equal to the 
Wilderness. It was three times bloodier than 
Austerlitz, after which battle it is said Napoleon 's 
triumphant march from Freize to Paris was more 
grand than Queen Elizabeth's tour of England 
after the defeat of the Spanish Armada. 

The Battle of the Wilderness, together with 
Spottsylvania, is thought to be more destructive 
to the Federal forces than both Antietam and 
Gettysburg combined. 

On Lee's sudden departure from Gettysburg 
there were many stragglers left behind, who were 
taken prisoners by the Federals. Some of them 
were not aware that the army had gone ; others, 
on account of slight wounds and sickness, were 
not able to keep up with the army. 

Lee succeeded in crossing the Potomac above 
Harper's Ferry about the middle of July with 
but little opposition from the Federals, and led 
his army across the Rapidan, and there en- 
trenched himself to dispute the Federals under 
General Meade, who had by this time succeeded 
in crossing the Potomac and was moving upon 
Culpeper Court House, at which place he con- 
114 



TEE WILDERNESS 115 

centrated his forces. There was but little fight- 
ing done during the remainder of the year, except 
an unsuccessful cavalry expedition under Kil- 
patrick, who sought to take Eichmond by sur- 
prise. 

During the early months of 1864 the authori- 
ties at Washington became discouraged with Gen- 
eral Meade's management of the Army of the 
Potomac. They thought that he should have 
destroyed Lee 's army on its retreat from Gettys- 
burg ; while it is now conceded that Meade 's man- 
agement was good, and that he did all that any 
general could have done under the circumstances. 
General Grant had come into great favor in the 
North on account of his successive victories in the 
West, and it was decided to give Grant command 
of all the Federal forces, with the rank of lieu- 
tenant-general. This high grade in command 
had been held only by Generals Washington and 
Scott, thus bringing together two great generals. 
One the idol of the North : the other of the South. 
Caesar said he would rather be first man in a vil- 
lage in Gaul than second in Rome. 

Grant found under his command in the Army 
of the Potomac 140,000 men. 

Lee found under his command scarcely 60,000 
men, but that spirit burned in the breast of his 
soldiers notwithstanding their defeat at Gettys- 
burg and their loss of Vicksburg, that many hard 
battles would be fought before the heel of the 
invader should tread upon the streets of their 
cherished capital, Richmond. 





116 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

Grant determined to move upon Richmond 
and by doing so began with the Wilderness a 
series of battles which are unequaled in history. 

Grant's army was divided into three corps, 
commanded by Hancock, Warren and Sedgwick. 
Sheridan was in command of the cavalry. Burn- 
side was in command of another division of the 
army, protecting the Orange and Alexandria 
railroad. 

Lee 's army consisted of three corps of infantry, 
commanded by Longstreet, Ewell and A. P. Hill, 
and the cavalry by Stuart. A notable fact in 
the organization of the Confederate army was 
the few changes made in commanders. 

Early on the morning of May 4th Grant's 
army began crossing the Rapidan below Lee's 
entrenchments. This being anticipated by Lee, 
he at once prepared to set his own army in motion 
and throw himself across the path of his foe. 
Both armies were now near Chancellorsville, in 
a wilderness country, where a great battle had 
been fought the year before. This country was 
covered by underbrush and ragged foliage, with 
scrub pine, and dotted here and there with small 
clearings. This wilderness country was pierced 
by a few roads leading from the fords of the 
river. The Federals had advanced up these 
roads as far as the Wilderness Tavern, in which 
General Grant established his headquarters. 

This wilderness country was entered by two 
roads from the southwest known as the *'01d 
Orange Turnpike" and the ''Orange Plank 



TEE WILDERNESS 117 

Road. ' ' Along these two roads the Confederates 
moved their army to meet the advancing hosts 
of the Federals, General Ewell leading his corps 
along the turnpike and A. P. Hill along the plank 
road. General Longstreet was hastening up 
from Gordonsville, and it was very evident that 
a great battle was near at hand. 

On the morning of May 5th Ewell came in con- 
tact with Warren's corps at a cross-road near 
Parker's store, and this meeting precipitated the 
beginning of the great battle. 

About this time it became known to General 
Grant that A. P. Hill was advancing by the plank 
road, and he ordered Sedgwick to entrench and 
prepare to receive the attack from A. P. Hill. 
Hill came up very soon, and the battle began in 
earnest. The musketry fire was continued with 
great severity until late in the evening without 
a decided advantage to either side. The loss 
was great and the Federals had suffered the loss 
of General Hays, who had been shot through the 
head. The Confederates had suffered the loss of 
General John M. Jones. 

This ended the first day's struggle, and during 
the night both armies entrenched themselves 
directly in each other's front. 

Early on the morning of May 6th the Federals 
were reenforced by Burnside's corps, and A. P. 
Hill by that of Longstreet. 

General Grant issued orders for a general at- 
tack all along the line, and soon the battle was 
raging along the five-mile front, which became a 





118 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

hand-to-hand contest. Artillery played but little 
force in this battle, on account of the dense 
growth of timber and underbrush, and it was 
chiefly a battle of musketry. 

The branches were cut from the trees by the 
leaden missiles, and saplings were mowed down 
as grass by a scythe. 

The Confederates were finally driven back and 
seemed on the verge of a panic. At this moment 
General Lee rode through the lines to the front 
and called on his soldiers to follow him. This 
instantly gave courage to his army, which rallied 
and began to push the Federals back. General 
Lee was called back by his own men : * ' General 
Lee to the rear! General Lee to the rear!'* 
This brave act on the part of General Lee, and 
the arrival of Longstreet, restored order and 
courage in the ranks, and they soon regained 
their lost position. 

General Longstreet, while riding with Gen- 
erals Kershaw and Jenkins, at the head of Jen- 
kins' brigade, were mistaken for the enemy by 
their own men and fired on, and when the smoke 
lifted Longstreet and Jenkins were down — Long- 
street seriously wounded, and Jenkins killed out- 
right. This was a serious loss to the Confed- 
eracy, as they had suffered the loss of one gen- 
eral and had incapacitated another from service. 
A similar thing had occurred a year before at 
Chancellorsville when General Jackson was mor- 
tally wounded. 

The fighting continued the rest of the day, 



THE WILDERNESS 



119 



the advantage being first with one side and then 
the other. 

Darkness ended the two days' undecisive Bat- 
tle of the Wilderness, one of the greatest struggles 
in history. 

It was Grant's first measure of arms with Gen- 
eral Lee. While Grant had been defeated in his 
plan to pass around Lee to Richmond, yet he had 
made a new record for the Army of the Potomac. 

The loss of the Federals in killed and wounded 
was about 17,000, while that of the Confederates 
was about 12,000. 





THE BATTLE OF SPOTTSYL- 
VANIA COURT HOUSE 

General John B. Gordon said that Spottsyl- 
vania furnished the longest roll of incessant mus- 
ketry; the most splendid exhibition of heroism 
and personal daring by large numbers who, 
standing in the freshly spilled blood of their 
comrades, faced for so long a period and at so 
short a range the flaming rifles as they heralded 
the decrees of death during the entire war. Such 
examples of heroism, shown by both armies in that 
hand-to-hand struggle at Spottsylvania Court 
House, will not be lost to the Republic. 

After the undecisive Battle of the Wilderness, 
Grant again tried to get his army between that 
of Lee and Richmond, and on the afternoon of 
May 7th began to move his army in the direction 
of Spottsylvania Court House. Lee had antici- 
pated this movement on the part of Grant, and 
began at once to devise plans to throw his army 
across the path of his adversary. He therefore 
ordered General Anderson, who was now in com- 
mand of Longstreet's corps, Longstreet having 
been wounded in the Battle of the Wilderness, to 
march by a shorter route to Spottsylvania Court 
House, hoping to reach the same before it was 
occupied by the troops of Grant. This move- 
ment was begun by Anderson on the night of 
120 



SPOTTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE 121 

May 7th. General Ewell was ordered to follow 
up Anderson's corps. This he did by taking a 
longer and more indirect route. When the Fed- 
erals, under Warren, reached Todd's Tavern 
they found their cavalry in terrible conflict with 
Fitzhugh Lee's division of the Confederate cav- 
alry. Fitzhugh Lee was reenforced by the ad- 
vance division of Anderson's corps, which by this 
time had come up. General Warren was finally 
repulsed and fell back, thus giving the Con- 
federates possession of Spottsylvania Court House 
which was gained only by the timely arrival of 
Anderson's corps. 

The Federals tried again and again through- 
out the day to break the Confederate lines, but 
were repulsed in every attack. Thus Lee had 
again blocked the path of Grant. 

Both armies began to entrench themselves, as 
it was very evident that a great battle was near 
at hand. The Confederates formed their en- 
trenchments in the shape of a huge V, forming 
a salient angle against the center of the Federal 
line. This particular place has since been known 
as the ''Bloody Angle.'' The Confederate left 
was commanded by Anderson, the center by 
Ewell, the right by Early, who was temporarily 
in command of A. P. Hill's corps, on account of 
Hill's sickness. The Federal left was com- 
manded by Burnside, the center by Sedgwick 
and Warren, and the right by Hancock. 

May 9th was spent by both armies in getting 
position and by some fighting between the out- 





122 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

lying divisions of the armies. In one of these 
skirmishes General Sedgwick was killed by a 
sharpshooter's ball. He was succeeded in com- 
mand by H. G. Wright. His death was a great 
loss to the Federal forces. 

On the next day General Grant ordered a gen- 
eral attack on the Confederate line. This at- 
tack was led by General Warren, whose progress 
was very slow owing to the dense thickets of low 
cedar and the walls of abatis, which were thrown 
in their way by the Confederates. This advance 
of General Warren was met by a heavy artillery 
and musket fire from Longstreet's corps, under 
command of Anderson. Warren 's troops came on 
notwithstanding the heavy fire from all sides. 
Some of his soldiers even crossed over the breast- 
works and were either killed or taken prisoners 
by the Confederates. The Federals finally re- 
treated with heavy loss. 

Grant now thought it best to attack the Con- 
federate lines in front of Wright's corps. This 
was done late in the evening by several divisions 
under Upton. He advanced quickly through a 
terrible fire and gained the entrenchments, where 
they had a terrible hand-to-hand conflict with 
bayonets fixed. The Confederates were overpow- 
ered by numbers and gave way and fell back to 
their second line of entrenchments. For this 
brave act, Upton was made a brigadier-general. 
The Confederates, however, were reenforced, and 
Upton retired from the position which he had 
gained. 



8P0TTSYLVANIA COURT HOUSE 123 

The battle was yet indecisive and both armies 
had suffered great loss. Owing to the heavy 
rains, the armies lay inactive on the 11th. It 
was during this battle that Grant sent a message 
to Washington saying that he would fight it out 
on this line if it took all summer. 

Grant, in the meantime, had sent General Sher- 
idan with his cavalry to threaten Richmond. 

He was closely followed by General Stuart, 
and on May 11th they fought a hard battle at 
Yellow Tavern, in which General Stuart was 
killed. His death was a severe loss to the Con- 
federacy. His experience as a cavalry leader, 
obtained on many battlefields, was such that his 
place could not be filled. A large statue has been 
erected to his memory in the Hollywood ceme- 
tery at Richmond, on which is recorded his feats 
of valor on many fields. 

Grant decided on another attack on the Con- 
federate lines at Spottsylvania on May 12th, the 
objective point being the sharp angle in Lee's 
entrenchments. This had been anticipated by 
General Lee, and he had been making ready. 
This attack was made at daybreak by General 
Hancock's corps. It was the most severe and the 
most bloody hand-to-hand conflict of the entire 
battle. The attack was received by General 
Johnston's brigade of Swell's corps, which was 
finally overpowered and captured. This was 
the ''Old Stonewall Brigade." This was a 
serious loss to Lee 's army. 

The Federals pushed on to the Confederates' 




124 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 




second entrenchments, but were here repulsed by 
fresh troops under General Gordon. General Lee 
himself rode up with Gordon, but was forced 
back again by the cry of his own men : * ' General 
Lee to the rear ! ' ' 

The fighting was kept up all day along the 
line. The trenches had to be cleared frequently 
of the dead to give room for the living. The 
slaughter continued until late in the night and 
was undecisive. The Confederates finally fell 
back within their entrenchments. 

General Grant was deeply moved by the ter- 
rible loss of life at the "Bloody Angle." 

The total loss to the Federals exceeded 18,000 ; 
the Confederates, about 9,000. Grant found 
that no ordinary methods of war would over- 
come the Army of Northern Virginia, and that 
his only hope was in the long drawn-out cam- 
paign with larger numbers. For the next five 
days short battles were fought at intervals be- 
tween the outlying divisions of the armies. 

Grant's army still moved to the southeast, with 
Lee following close along in their front, always 
ready to dispute any move that the Army of the 
Potomac should make toward Richmond. 



THE BATTLE OF COLD 
HARBOR 

With this battle terminated the Wilderness 
campaign, and was one over which Grant ex- 
pressed regret, and said that Cold Harbor was 
the only battle that he ever fought that he would 
not fight over again, and he always regretted that 
the last assault at Cold Harbor was made. 

The Federal commander had failed in his plan 
to pass around Lee to Richmond, and now saw 
that he must cross the James River and make 
Petersburg his objective point. 

Early on the morning of May 26, 1864, Grant 
set his army in motion toward Cold Harbor. The 
next day Lee moved his army by a shorter route 
over the telegraph road to the Virginia Central 
railroad. The two armies were stretched across 
this low country parallel to each other and at 
times they came in contact. 

On the 31st day of May, General Sheridan 
reached Cold Harbor. He had orders from 
Meade that he should hold this place at all 
hazards until the main army should arrive. Both 
armies had received reenforcements. The Con- 
federates were reenforced by Breckinridge from 
western Virginia, and by Pickett from North 
Carolina. The Federals were reenforced from 
the army of General Butler from down the James 
125 





126 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

River. Thus Grant's army was brought up to 
more than 100,000 men, and Lee's to about 75,000. 

On May 31st Sheridan fought a severe battle 
with Fitzhugh Lee at Cold Harbor, but it was 
undecisive. On the next morning the Federal 
army arrived on the field and immediately took 
position. They were confronted by Longstreet 's 
corps and that of A. P. Hill, and the divisions of 
Hoke and Breckinridge. Late in the evening 
the Federals made a fierce attack on the Con- 
federate position and the Confederate lines were 
broken in many places, but before night they 
had succeeded in regaining some of their position. 

It was well known to both armies that this 
battle would decide Grant's last chance to get 
between Lee and Richmond, and preparations 
were made the next day for a decisive battle on 
the morrow. The Federals were reenforced dur- 
ing the night of June 2d by Hancock 's and Burn- 
side 's corps. The Confederates, being on the 
defensive, had orders from General Lee to rest 
on their arms and be ready to receive a fierce 
assault which he was anticipating from the 
Federals. It goes without saying that the Con- 
federate soldiers under such orders on this par- 
ticular night, and on account of the apparent 
danger of their position, did not close their eyes 
in sleep. The Federals were faced by Ewell's, 
A. P. Hill's and Longstreet 's corps, the latter 
being under the command of Anderson, as Long- 
street was severely wounded in the Battle of the 
"Wilderness. 



COLD HARBOR 127 

Both armies lay very close to each other, and 
Lee's position was exceptionally strong, as it 
must be approached through swampy ground, 
and his batteries were set in position to give both 
a front and an enfilading fire. Yet Grant de- 
termined to make a general attack on the Con- 
federate lines, and passed word to his corps com- 
manders to make ready to execute the same at 
about five o'clock on the morning of June 3d. 

This order was carried out, and they had mar- 
shaled their soldiers in large numbers into lines 
ten columns deep, and at the appointed hour 
began with a determined step to move toward 
the Confederate entrenchments. The silence of 
the early morning was broken by the Confed- 
erate batteries and their musketry that raked 
the open country over which the Federals were 
advancing, which made the same appear as a 
fiery furnace. The columns of blue were swept 
by this fierce fire, which mowed them down in 
great numbers. They succeeded in crossing into 
the Confederate entrenchments in a few places 
and engaged in hand-to-hand combat, but the 
Confederates had orders to hold their position 
at all hazards, and the Federal leaders soon 
found it was impossible to stand the raking fire 
from the Confederate batteries and ordered a 
retreat, and in doing so they took with them a 
few hundred prisoners. Thus the field was left 
in the possession of the Confederates. 

This battle is said to have lasted but twenty 
minutes, and during this short time Grant lost 





128 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

10,000 men. This is said to be the greatest loss 
in the shortest time during the entire war. 

With this battle ended the series of battles be- 
ginning with that of the Wilderness, all having 
been fought within a month, and nothing like 
it has yet been known to warfare. 

Grant's entire loss in all these engagements in 
killed, wounded and missing was about 55,000 
men, and that of the Confederates much less. If 
Lee's loss had been equal to that of Grant's, his 
army would have been almost annihilated. 

The soldiers, either living or dead, who stood 
in the dense columns of blue and marched across 
that shell swept field toward the Confederate 
entrenchments, and those who stood in the Con- 
federate ranks and successfully repulsed that 
awful onslaught of the Federals on that bright 
June morning at Cold Harbor, for these reasons 
are possessed of a rich heritage which their 
posterity should be proud to receive. 



SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE 
SEA 

General Sherman was given command of the 
Western army, which was to operate against 
Joseph E. Johnston, who was in command of 
the Confederate army in the "West. Johnston 
was reckoned second to Lee in military genius. 
Sherman found under his command 120,000 men, 
while that of Johnston's army numbered about 
75,000. The Federals were concentrated around 
Chattanooga, while the Confederates were massed 
at Dalton, where they had been in winter 
quarters. 

Sherman moved his army on May 6, 1864, 
against Johnston, and thus the beginning of 
Sherman's march to the sea and a series of bat- 
tles fought, viz. : Resaca, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Peach Tree Creek and the Battle of Atlanta. 

Sherman's army was divided into three divi- 
sions commanded by Generals McPherson, Scho- 
field and Thomas. His army was in good spirits 
and seemed anxious for the opportunity to move 
forward, after a long wearisome winter in camp, 
and rejoiced at the journey before them, though 
their mission was to be one of strife and blood- 
shed. 

General Johnston had succeeded General Bragg 
in command of this Confederate army, which was 
now divided into two corps, commanded by Gen- 
9 129 





130 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

erals Hood and Hardee. He was later reen- 
forced by General Polk. 

On account of the strong position occupied by 
Johnston at Dalton Sherman thought best to 
refrain from attacking him there and moved 
round to the right of the Confederate army to 
Eesaca. 

When Johnston discovered this movement on 
the part of the Federals he quickly evacuated 
Dalton and moved with all speed to Resaca, which 
place he succeeded in reaching before it was oc- 
cupied by the Federals. On his way to Resaca 
his cavalry, under General Wheeler, fought a 
desperate battle with that of the Federals, under 
General McCook, in which Wheeler was suc- 
cessful. 

The Confederates were strongly entrenched at 
Resaca by the time Sherman's army came up. 

On May 14th Sherman ordered a general at- 
tack on the Confederate stronghold, which was 
done by Thomas' division and a part of Scho- 
field's. This attack was received by Hood's 
corps. There was desperate fighting and the 
advantage first lay with one and then the other, 
when at length the Federals were reenforced by 
General Hooker, and the Confederates fell back 
to the second line of their entrenchments. 

There was terrible fighting on the next day 
during which the outworks were captured by 
General Butterfield, but he was unable to hold 
his position gained on account of the raking fire 
from Hardee's corps, which galled him very 
much. 



SHERMAN'S MARCH 131 

During the night Johnston withdrew his army 
from Resaca toward Atlanta, and was closely 
followed by Sherman, who sent a part of his 
army under General Davis to capture Rome, a 
small town in Georgia, where there was quite a 
number of iron factories. 

This he did, and destroyed the factories, which 
were a serious loss to the Confederates, for they 
were used for the manufacture of cannon and 
other munitions of war. 

Johnston brought his army to a halt at Adairs- 
ville, at which place he had fully decided to give 
battle to Sherman, and had so informed his offi- 
cers. After skirmishing with the enemy for 
some time he suddenly changed his mind and 
withdrew his army to Cassville, where he took 
a strong position and issued a spirited address 
to his army, and had fully decided to give battle 
to Sherman, but, on account of his superior 
numbers, Sherman had been able to turn the 
right flank of the Confederate army. 

On the advice of Hood and Polk, Johnston 
again withdrew his army from its position and 
took a much stronger position a few miles south 
on Kenesaw Mountain. 

On account of these several retreats, gave rise 
to a cause of a great deal of dissent among his 
soldiers, as well as the inhabitants of the coun- 
try through which he passed, which left them 
in the hands of the enemy, but it is conceded 
that Johnston did the best he could, as his army 
was inferior to that of Sherman both in numbers 





132 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

and equipment, and he was waiting for an oppor- 
tunity to catch Sherman's army divided, or to 
get a strong position which would help him in 
repulsing any attack made by Sherman. This 
strong position he found at Kenesaw Mountain, 
and here made ready for battle in earnest. 

A few days prior to this, while Johnston's 
army was retiring from its former position at 
Cassvilie, they became engaged with a division 
of the Federal army at Pine Mountain, in which 
battle General Polk was killed by a cannon ball. 
This was a serious loss to the Confederacy. He 
was a graduate of West Point; but after being 
graduated he took work with the Episcopal 
church as bishop, but at the outbreak of the war 
he entered the Confederate army and served 
with distinction. Only a short time before his 
death it is reported that he administered the 
ordinance of baptism to Generals Johnston and 
Hood. It is said that he was rebuked by some 
of his church for taking up arms. He replied 
that he felt as a man plowing in a field and was 
called by his neighbor to help extinguish the 
flames from his house which was on fire, and 
after the fire would go back to work. He was suc- 
ceeded in command by General Loring. 

Sherman decided to attack Johnston at Kene- 
saw Mountain, this being anticipated by John- 
ston and, on account of his strong position, met 
w^ith his approval. This desperate battle was 
fought on the 27th day of June. Sherman's 
army advanced against the strong Confederate 



SHERMAN'S MARCH 133 

works again and again during the day, but every 
charge was repulsed, the mountainside being 
swept by the musketry and artillery of the Con- 
federates. Sherman's loss in this battle was 
more than 3,000 men, while that of the Confed- 
erates was less than 1,000. 

Sherman was convinced that his success did 
not lay in attacking his antagonist in a strong 
position, and turned upon Johnston's right and 
attempted to pass around him to Atlanta in the 
same manner in which Grant was trying to pass 
around Lee to Richmond. 

Sherman succeeded in drawing Johnston away 
from Kenesaw Mountain, and Johnston with- 
drew his army by shorter roads within the en- 
trenchments before Atlanta, which was imme- 
diately confronted by the Federal hosts. This 
was a critical time for Sherman, as the North 
was in a presidential campaign in which it ap- 
peared that the success of the war party de- 
pended upon his capture of Atlanta ; and on the 
other hand it was a critical time for the Con- 
federates, for the loss of Atlanta would mean 
the loss of their iron foundries, where they manu- 
factured most of their munitions of war, and 
besides would divide their country in two divi- 
sions again as Grant's capture of Vicksburg had 
divided it before. 

General Johnston was removed from command 
of the army for the reasons assigned by the Con- 
federate government that he had failed to arrest 
the advance of the enemy to the vicinity of At- 





134 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

lanta, and that he had expressed no confidence 
that he could defeat or repel Sherman, and for 
these reasons he was relieved and the same was 
handed to Greneral Hood. It was said that when 
General Johnston received this information he 
informed General Hardee, who was with him, of 
the information received. Hardee replied, **I 
don 't believe it. ' ' In answer Johnston said, ' * A 
thing may be unbelievable and a fact." 

The removal of Johnston from the command 
is thought to have been a great mistake on the 
part of the Confederate Government, as his tac- 
tics had been in this campaign on the defensive 
on account of his inferior numbers and equip- 
ment to that of Sherman, while that of Hood was 
on the aggressive, and he maintained the idea of 
attacking Sherman's army, which proved to be 
the loss of Atlanta for the Confederacy. 

Hood found himself in command of about 
60,000 men, and on July 20th offered battle 
which was fierce and a decided loss to the Con- 
federates, in which they were repulsed on every 
hand, but not without hard fighting and much 
loss to the Federals, for General Hood had the 
reputation of being a fearless, aggressive com- 
mander. This was known as the Battle of Peach 
Tree Creek. 

Two days later, on July 22d, the Battle of 
Atlanta was fought, this being the greatest en- 
gagement of the entire campaign. 

The Federals had closed in upon Atlanta and 
had succeeded in capturing some out entrench- 



SHERMAN'S MARCH 135 

ments, but on the 22d was a general engage- 
ment of all the army, the attack being made by- 
Hood to recapture some of his lost positions. 
In this engagement General McPherson was 
killed, which was a great blow to the Union 
army. General Logan succeeded to his com- 
mand. 

The Confederates achieved considerable suc- 
cess, but the Federals were presently reenforced, 
and Hood withdrew within the defenses of At- 
lanta. Again on the 28th the Federals were 
attacked by General Hardee and a fierce battle 
was fought at Ezra Church, in which the Con- 
federates were defeated with heavy loss. 

Sherman determined on besieging the city and 
if possible destroy the line of supplies for Hood's 
army. This he succeeded in doing late in August 
by destroying the Macon and "Western railroad. 

Hood determined to attack the Federals and 
sent General Hardee to make an attack near 
Jonesboro, while he himself should attack Sher- 
man's right flank. These attacks failed, thus 
necessitating the evacuation of Atlanta, which 
he did on September 2d, after destroying all 
the supplies he could not take with him. 

Hood kept his army between that of Sherman's 
and Andersonville, at which place there were con- 
fined many thousands of Federal prisoners. 
With the fall of Atlanta practically ended the 
points of interest of Sherman 's march to the sea. 

The command of Hood's army was later given 
back to General Joseph E. Johnston. 





BATTLE OF CLOYD MOUNTAIN 

In the early spring of 1864 the command of 
the Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley was 
given to General Hunter, who made ready to 
march upon Lynchburg, with the object of tak- 
ing possession of the city and to capture large 
stores of provisions and munitions of war which 
belonged to the Confederates and were stored 
at Lynchburg. He also laid waste to the coun- 
try over which his army passed so as to render 
the same of little value as a source for supplies 
to the Confederacy. 

A division of his army under General Crooks 
fought a desperate battle on the 9th day of May, 
1864, with the Confederates, commanded by 
General Jenkins, at Cloyd's farm, near Dublin 
depot, in southwestern Virginia. This was one 
of the most severe short engagements of the en- 
tire war, in which General Jenkins was killed 
and the total loss to the Confederates in killed 
and wounded and missing was about 900, and 
that of the Federals somewhat less. During this 
short engagement the grim monster Death was 
on every side, and whose threatening shrieks 
howled in the air around them. 

Hunter's main army finally reached the vi- 
cinity of Lynchburg on the 17th day of June, 
after fighting a battle with Imboden and Mc- 
136 



GLOYD MOUNTAIN 137 

Causland a few miles away from Lynchburg, 
the Confederates falling back within the breast- 
works which they had hastily thrown up. The 
city was defended by a portion of Breckinridge 's 
division, but their numbers were far inferior to 
that of the Federals, who had by this time ar- 
rived before the city. Hunter halted his army 
and brought up his artillery and did some can- 
nonading, but went into camp with the expecta- 
tion of taking the city without much opposition 
the next morning. It is thought that he could 
have easily taken the city on the evening of his 
arrival, but during the night General Gordon 
arrived with his division and the Confederates 
were reenforced by other arrivals next morning 
from the army of General Early, then on its way 
to the Shenandoah Valley. On the morning of 
the 18th General Hunter found Lynchburg full 
of Confederate soldiers, and more arriving on 
every train, which on the arrival the bands 
playing could plainly be heard by the Federal 
soldiers as they came upon the field. Hunter 
soon found, in his opinion, the capture of Lynch- 
burg an impossibility, and his raid was to ter- 
minate in a dismal failure. During the 18th 
there was some cannonading and several skir- 
mishes between the cavalry of the two contending 
armies. 

On the night of the 19th he broke camp and 
marched away to the westward. Why he re- 
treated without giving battle was not under- 
stood. General Gordon said that in his opinion 





138 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

that conscience was harrowing General Hunter 
and causing him to see an avenger wrapped in 
every gray jacket before him. The Confed- 
erates took up the pursuit of Hunter 's retreating 
army, but Hunter succeeded in getting back 
across the mountains into western Virginia, after 
hard marches over mountain roads with little 
or no supplies for his army, and with a large 
amount of straggling. 

General Lee dispatched General Early with 
an army of 20,000 men to threaten Washington, 
in the hope of drawing part of Grant's army 
away from before Eichmond. Early was to go 
by the way of Shenandoah Valley. This route 
was given him partly in order to help defend 
Lynchburg and to get supplies for his army in 
the valley. He reached Winchester on the 3d 
of July, and moved rapidly down the valley and 
crossed into Maryland, and was at Hagerstown 
on the 6th. He turned about and moved boldly 
upon Washington. He met and defeated Gen- 
eral Wallace on the Monocacy on July 9th, and 
on the next day he was within six miles of the 
capitol at Washington. An immediate assault 
might have given him possession of the city, 
which was weakly defended, but he delayed for 
a day, and in the meantime two divisions under 
General Wright from Grant's army from before 
Petersburg arrived and Early was forced to 
retreat, after spending the 12th in threatening 
the city. This was considered one of the boldest 
raids of the entire war. 



CLOYD MOUNTAIN 139 

This attack on Washington by General Early- 
created considerable excitement in the city, for 
no other Confederate army had ever been so 
near to the capital before. The government em- 
ployees of all kinds, the sailors from the navy 
yard, and the convalescents from the hospitals, 
were all rushed out to the forts around the city. 
Even President Lincoln himself went out to the 
defenses of the city. 

Early recrossed the Potomac at Snickers' 
Ferry on the 18th. Here he was overtaken by 
the pursuing Federals, at which place a battle 
was fought in which Early was the victor. He 
fought another battle at Winchester with General 
Averell's cavalry. 

Grant decided to give the command of the 
army in the Shenandoah to General Philip H. 
Sheridan, to whom he gave instructions to drive 
the Confederates out of the valley once for all, 
and to destroy all growing crops and everything 
that would be of any advantage to the Confed- 
eracy in the way of supplies for their army or 
otherwise. This he finally did, and Sheridan 
afterwards said that he believed a crow could 
fly over the entire valley without getting even 
a mouthful to eat. 

September found the two armies near Win- 
chester, and on the 19th a severe battle was 
fought which was kept up the entire day, the 
advantage being first with one side and then the 
other. Finally the Confederates, being outnum- 
bered, retreated back through Winchester. This 





140 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

was a bloody day, in which the loss of the Fed- 
erals was about 5,000, and that of the Confed- 
erates about 4,000. 

The next day the Confederates were overtaken 
at Fisher's Hill, at which place Early was mak- 
ing preparations for a great battle, which en- 
gagement did not occur until the 22d. This en- 
gagement proved to be disastrous to Early, his 
army being flanked by the Federals with supe- 
rior numbers. He began a stubborn retreat, 
which finally became a rout. He was closely 
followed up by the Federals, and fought several 
small engagements on his retreat. 

On about the middle of October he received 
reenforcements from Longstreet, and on the 19th 
he attacked Sheridan's army at Cedar Creek, 
under the immediate command of General 
"Wright, Sheridan having gone to "Washington, 
but returned in time to take part in the battle. 
This took place about twenty miles from "Win- 
chester, the attack being made by General Gor- 
don, who fell upon General Sheridan's men 
while they were yet sleeping early in the morn- 
ing. Gordon was immediately supported by the 
army ; Early himself came up to the attack. The 
Federals were completely surprised and re- 
treated, which became a rout, leaving their en- 
tire camp equipment, together with some pris- 
oners, in the hands of the Confederates. The 
Confederates thought they had gained a signal 
victory, and gave up the pursuit of the retreat- 
ing Federals, and turned their attention to pil- 
laging the Federal camp. 



CLOYD MOUNTAIN 141 

* General Sheridan was on his way from Win- 
chester to his army headquarters at Cedar Creek 
when he heard the roar of the cannon which con- 
vinced him that a great battle was being fought. 
He at once made haste to take charge of his 
army, this being Sheridan's famous ride. He 
first met stragglers of his army, and then passed 
through brigade after brigade of his retreating 
army, which so blocked the highway that he was 
compelled to leave the same and take to the 
fields. He at length succeeded in stopping the 
retreat and turned it into an attacking column. 
In this retreat were two divisions commanded by 
two future presidents, viz. : President Hayes and 
McKinley. This attack on the Confederates 
completely surprised them, and they were utterly 
routed and so badly defeated that Early's army 
was never completely reorganized, this being the 
last principal engagement in the Shenandoah 
Valley. 

Previous to these battles in the valley, Early 
had dispatched General McCausland with his 
division of cavalry to go into Pennsylvania to 
levy large sums of money on the towns in re- 
prisal for Hunter's depredations in the Shenan- 
doah Valley. This cavalry party burned the 
town of Chambersburg. 





THE SIEGE AND FALL OF 
PETERSBURG 

After the battle of Cold Harbor Grant re- 
mained a few days trying to find a weak place 
in the Confederate lines. This he abandoned 
and resolved to move his army across the James 
and to Petersburg, which place is about twenty 
miles from Richmond, and was defended by 
General Beauregard with a small division of the 
Confederate army. 

Petersburg was at the junction of three rail- 
•roads, and was a place of great importance to 
the Confederacy, as all the supplies of Lee^s 
army, as well as to Richmond, came by the way 
of Petersburg, and for these reasons General 
Grant resolved to destroy the railroads, and if 
possible to capture the city, and thus destroy the 
Confederates' source of supplies. 

These conditions being well known to Lee, he 
resolved to defend Petersburg, and to save it 
from capture if possible, and thus began the 
greatest struggle of its kind known in modern 
times. 

The advance divisions of Grant's army, under 
Hancock and W. F. Smith, appeared before 
Petersburg June 15, 1864. Beauregard man- 
aged to hold the entrenchments with his small 
force until Lee 's main army arrived, which came 
by a shorter route than the one which the Fed- 
erals had taken. Both armies were in full force 
142 



FALL OF PETERSBURG 143 

before Petersburg by the evening of the 18th, 
and the great struggle had now begun. The 
Confederate entrenchments extended for thirty 
miles, and the whole country was a network of 
fortifications. Grant at once began to extend his 
lines of entrenchments, and thus the two armies 
were pitted against each other for their last 
great struggle, the army of General Grant num- 
bering more than 100,000 men, while that of 
General Lee was about half that number. 

General Grant turned his attention to trying 
to destroy the railroads, and made several at- 
tempts with much hard fighting to do so. But 
this, having been anticipated by General Lee, 
he had given to A. P. Hill the defense and the 
protection of the railroads, which was his source 
of supplies. They were ably protected by Gen- 
eral Hill, and Grant ^s attacking parties in every 
instance were repulsed, and these plans were at 
length abandoned by him for the present. 

The two armies lay facing each other before 
Petersburg the entire summer and fall, with 
several small engagements during the summer 
and a few very severe ones. 

A severe cavalry engagement was fought 
at Trevilian Station, north of Richmond, on 
June 11th, between the Confederates, com- 
manded by Generals Hampton and Fitzhugh 
Lee, and the Federals, commanded by General 
Sheridan. 

During the latter days of July the Federals 
were engaged in digging a mammoth tunnel, 





144 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

beginning in the rear of their entrenchments 
and to extend under the Confederate fortifica- 
tions before Petersburg, at the completion of 
which they expected to fill the same with large 
quantities of gunpowder which was to be ex- 
ploded and was expected to blow up the Con- 
federate fortifications. 

Of all the schemes employed by either army 
this was the greatest, and one in which Grant 
had great faith, and the progress of which was 
watched with great anxiety. The Confederates 
were apprised of this undertaking, and had 
made ready by placing several batteries within 
their lines so that the fire from the same would 
sweep the opening which would be made by the 
blowing up of the ''crater." At a few minutes 
past five on the morning of July 30th this mine 
was exploded, which was a sight to behold. The 
Federal troops who were in waiting to march 
through the opening were somewhat delayed 
from the shock and horror of the explosion, but 
at length marched in the opening in great num- 
bers, and by this time the Confederate batteries 
were brought into action, which so horribly 
swept their ranks, and they were charged by 
General Mahone with several divisions of Georgia 
troops, and the Federal loss became so great, and 
their ranks in so much confusion, that they were 
ordered to retire within their entrenchments, 
thus bringing to a dismal failure the capture of 
Petersburg by this plan. 

During the last days of August Grant re- 



FALL OF PETERSBURG 145 

newed his plan to destroy the Weldon railroad. 
This task was given to General Warren, with a 
large force who, after fighting several hard bat- 
tles with the dashing Mahone, whose numbers 
were greatly inferior to that of Warren, and 
from his reputation for strategy it is thought 
that he was very worthy to wear the mantle of 
*'Stonewair' Jackson, the Federals succeeded in 
destroying this railroad in several places. 

Grant continued to extend his lines, and by 
the end of October he was very near the South- 
side railroad, and on the 27th fought a desperate 
battle with A. P. Hill at Hatcher 's Run, in which 
the Federals were defeated and retired within 
their entrenchments before Petersburg, this be- 
ing the last engagement of importance until the 
coming spring. 

The suffering and privation endured by Lee's 
army during the winter of 1864 and 1865, while 
they lay within the defenses of Petersburg and 
Richmond with scant clothing and food, can 
scarcely be imagined by anyone excepting those 
who were there. Their numbers were depleted 
by sickness and other causes so by the coming of 
spring Lee had within his ranks less than 50,000 
men. 

Lee 's lines had been extended until they were 
so thin that there was danger of breaking. A. P. 
Hill held the right, Gordon and Anderson the 
center, and Longstreet the left. Late in Feb- 
ruary Grant's army was reenforced by General 
Sheridan from the valley, and in the last days 

10 





146 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

of March it was further reenforced from Gen- 
eral Butler's army from down the James River. 

General Lee began to see the position that he 
was in with his army against superior numbers 
and equipment, and felt that he must sooner or 
later evacuate Petersburg, and began to plan a 
junction of his army with General Johnston's 
in North Carolina. 

General Grant anticipated this plan of Lee's 
and began to extend his lines westward so if 
possible to cut off Lee's chances of retreat. 

Lee determined to make a bold attack on 
Grant's right, the objective point being Fort 
Stedman. This plan was given to General 
Gordon to be carried out, which he gallantly did, 
and captured the fort, but was unable to hold 
the same, and retired within the Confederate 
lines. His attack and capture of Fort Stedman 
was carefully planned and well supported by the 
main Confederate army. 

The battle at Fort Stedman did not interfere 
with Grant's plan in extending his lines along 
the front of the Confederate army, under Gen- 
eral Warren. Lee had sent General Anderson to 
hold the road over which he would retreat in the 
event he was compelled to evacuate Petersburg. 

On the 31st a large Confederate force was at 
Dinwiddle Court House, and during that night 
they took a strong position at Five Forks, and 
here on April 1st a hard battle was fought, the 
Federals being commanded by Generals Sheri- 
dan and "Warren. The Confederates were finally 
defeated with a loss of 5,000 prisoners. 



FALL OF PETERSBURG 147 

The Confederates' defeat at Five Forks was a 
great blow to Lee, and he immediately began 
preparations for the evacuation of Petersburg 
and Richmond. 

On the night of April 1st Grant began his 
attack all along his lines, which he kept up the 
entire night. His cannon threw shells into the 
doomed city, and at dawn on April 2d the as- 
sault began. The Federal troops went forward 
in an impetuous charge through a storm of grape 
and canister which was poured into their ranks. 
The Confederates fell back within their inner 
breastworks and the Federals pushed on the left 
as far as Hatcher 's Run, where they had a severe 
engagement in which the Confederate General 
Pegram was killed, and another engagement near 
the Southside railroad in which General A. P. 
Hill was killed. His death was an irreparable 
loss to the Confederacy. He was one of their 
able corps commanders, and had been in all the 
principal engagements in the East. He played a 
distinctive part in the Seven Days' Battles be- 
fore Richmond; his timely arrival on the field 
saved Lee's army from utter rout at Antietam 
Creek and turned defeat into partial victory; 
he was a great favorite of ''Stonewall" Jackson, 
and took a distinctive part in the battles of 
Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, in which 
last-named battle he was near by when ''Stone- 
wall" Jackson was mortally wounded; with his 
corps was first on the field at Gettysburg; his 
corps received the first onslaught of the Federals 





148 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

at the Battle of the "Wilderness ; was too sick to 
command his corps at Spottsylvania Court House, 
which was temporarily commanded by General 
Early ; played a distinctive part at Cold Harbor, 
and here at Petersburg, on Sunday, April 2d, the 
end. He was buried in the cemetery at Peters- 
burg on the night of April 2d, while the whole 
country was being lit up by bursting shells and 
the hurrying and noise of the progress of a great 
battle. 

On Sunday morning, April 2d, General Lee 
notified the authorities at Richmond that he must 
evacuate Petersburg at once, and to notify Pres- 
ident Davis of the situation. President Davis 
was at St. Paul's Church with several of his 
cabinet listening to a sermon by Dr. Minne- 
gerode, speaking of a supper before Gethsemane. 
The sexton walked up the isle and handed the 
President the message, which he read, and quietly 
retired from the church, this being noticeable on 
account of it being somewhat out of the ordinary, 
although they were accustomed to the roar of the 
cannon at Petersburg. However, it was soon 
known that Petersburg and Richmond were soon 
to be evacuated, and the service was dismissed 
at the church without further announcement. 

The city of Richmond was in a state of excite- 
ment as the officers of the government departed 
from the city on their way to Danville, and dur- 
ing the night the arsenals were set on fire by the 
evacuating troops. The flames spread to a large 
portion of the city, which was burned. The next 
day the city was taken charge of by the Federals. 



THE SURRENDER AT APPO- 
MATTOX 

"We are now to the closing scenes of the greatest 
civil war of modern times. 

Lee evacuated Petersburg early on the third 
morning of April, 1865, and retreated toward 
Amelia Court House. 

With the evacuation of Petersburg also fell 
the city of Richmond. For nine months Lee's 
invincible forces had kept a foe more than twice 
their numbers from invading their capital. 

Lee had ordered supplies for his army to 
Amelia Court House, for which they were in sore 
need, as they had been on little or no rations for 
several days, but by some mistake of orders the 
train of supplies had been sent on to Richmond. 
This serious mistake was a crushing blow to Lee 's 
army, for when his troops reached Amelia Court 
House and found no supplies, which had been 
promised them, their hopes sank within them. 
Lee, as well as his officers, had come to realize 
that the end of the great war could not be far 
distant. 

Grant's army was hastening in pursuit of that 
of Lee's, Grant had sent General Sheridan to 
flank around Lee's army and get in his front, so 
if possible to cut off his chance of escape. 

Lee had intended to concentrate his forces at 
149 





150 BATTLES OF TEE CIVIL WAR 

Amelia Court House, but his whole army did not 
come up until the evening of the 5th, and on the 
discovery of his inadequate supplies he began the 
march anew toward Farmville, dividing his army 
so as to secure supplies from the country over 
which he passed. In the afternoon of April 6th 
Lee 's army was overtaken by the Federals and a 
hard battle was fought at Sailor's Creek, in 
which General Kichard Ewell, who was on the 
rear of Lee 's army, was captured with his entire 
corps, numbering about 6,000 men. 

Lee's main army reached Farmville on the 
night of the 6th of April, where they received 
their first rations within two days, and near which 
place a hard battle was fought, in which the 
Confederates, under General Mahone, gained a 
temporary victory. 

The retreat was again renewed in the hope of 
breaking through the Federal lines, which were 
rapidly enveloping around them. During these 
marches the soldiers were so worn out from 
hunger, fatigue, and lack of sufficient clothing 
in the early spring weather, that there was much 
straggling from the army, and many had thrown 
their arms away until scarcely one-third of Lee 's 
army was equipped for battle. 

Lee's army reached Appomattox Court House 
late in the evening of April 8th, and here found 
the Federals in their front, and were compelled 
to stop and prepare for battle. General Lee and 
his officers held a council of war that night and 
decided to make a desperate effort to cut through 



THE SURRENDER 151 

the Federal lines the next morning. This task 
was assigned to General Gordon. 

On Sunday, the 9th, Gordon made a fierce 
attack upon the Federals in his front, but was 
finally repulsed by overwhelming numbers, and 
sent word to General Lee that he could do noth- 
ing further unless he was heavily supported from 
Longstreet's corps. 

"With the repulse of Gordon on that morning 
sank Lee*s last hope of breaking through the 
Federal lines, and he said there is nothing to do 
but see Grant. 

Grant had proposed to Lee at Farmville, on 
the evening of the 7th, terms for the surrender 
of Lee *s army, to which Lee replied that as much 
as he desired peace, yet the time certainly had 
not arrived for the surrender of the Army of 
Northern Virginia. 

After the repulse of Gordon, on April 9th, 
Lee soon arranged a meeting with Grant and a 
truce was ordered pending negotiations for the 
surrender of Lee's army. This meeting took 
place at the house of Wilmer McLean at Appo- 
mattox Court House, at which place the terms 
were finally agreed upon by the two world 
famous commanders and were put in writing in 
the form of a letter from General Grant to 
General Lee, and the acceptance of the terms 
were written by Lee to Grant in the same form. 

It is interesting to know that Wilmer McLean 
had lived on the battlefield of Bull Run during 
the progress of the first battle fought there, and 





152 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

after the battle moved to Appomattox Court 
House, and at his house was negotiated the terms 
of the surrender of Lee 's army, thus around his 
premises was fought the first and the last great 
battle of the war. 

The Confederate officers were allowed to re- 
tain their side arms, and the Confederate soldiers 
to retain their horses. This was a welcome con- 
cession. 

Lee's army numbered less than 28,000 men, 
which he surrendered. Of these less than one- 
third were bearing arms on the day of surrender. 

The Confederate soldiers for some time did not 
realize that negotiations for their surrender was 
on and were expecting and seemed to be anxious 
for another battle with General Sheridan in their 
front, and were greatly surprised on learning of 
the negotiations that had been completed for their 
surrender. 

It was at once apparent to all that the great 
war was practically ended. 

On the next day the surrender of the army was 
completed, and when Lee made his farewell ad- 
dress to his soldiers, who had so faithfully de- 
fended their faith in the Confederacy in all the 
hard battles in which they had been engaged, and 
especially since the Wilderness campaign, and 
in the defense of Petersburg and Kichmond in 
the closing days, where their endurance was 
the greatest, and had now come down to the 
closing scenes at Appomattox, they were all deeply 
moved. General Lee, in broken accents, admon- 



TEE SURRENDER 153 

ished them to be as brave citizens as they had 
been soldiers. 

Thus practically ended the greatest civil war 
in history. Soon after Lee ^s surrender the other 
Confederate forces arranged for their surrender 
in quick succession. 

It had been a long, bloody and devastating 
war, and it is said that there were more Con- 
federate prisoners at Point Lookout alone than 
the number with Lee *s army at the surrender. 

The war closed on a spectacle of ruin the 
greatest yet known in America. "While the 
smoke had cleared away, and the roar of the can- 
non had ceased, yet there could be heard the 
wailing of mothers, widows and orphans through- 
out both North and South, which is the greatest 
costs of so great and devastating war. 

The Southern states lay prostrate; their re- 
sources gone; their fields desolate; their cities 
ruined; the fruits of the toil of generations all 
swept to destruction. 

The total number of Union soldiers engaged 
were about a million and a half. Of this num- 
ber, 275,000 were either killed in battle, died of 
mortal wounds or from disease in camp, and the 
loss to the Confederates was approximately the 
same. In both armies about 400,000 were dis- 
abled for life, thus making a grand total loss of 
about a million able-bodied men to the country. 

At the close of the war over 60,000 Confederate 
prisoners were released. The records of the war 
department shows that 220,000 Confederates 





154 BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR 

were made prisoners in the war. This includes, 
of course, the surrender of the armies at the 
close. Of this number 25,000 died of wounds 
and disease during their captivity. The esti- 
mated number of Union captives were about 
200,000, of whom 40,000 died in captivity. 



THE END 



